H 


. 


LIFE 


AND    CAMPAIGNS 


OF 


LIEUT.-GEN.  THOMAS  J,  JACKSON 

(STONEWALL   JACKSON.) 


BY 


PROF.    R.    L.    DABNEY,    B.D., 

It 

OF  THE  UNION  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,  VIRGINIA. 

ILLUSTRATED  WITH  STEEL  PORTRAIT  AftD  ELEVEN   DIAGRAMS. 

(RIGHT  OF  TRANSLATION  RESERVED  BY  THE  AUTHOR  ) 


BLELOCK    &    CO.,    19    BEEKMAN    STREET. 
RICHMOND,   VA.,   AND    PHILADELPHIA,   PA,    NATIONAL    PUBLISHING    COMPANY. 

18GG. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress  in  the  year  1865,  by 

STERLING  AND  ALBRIGHT, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  District  of  Cape  Fear,  in 
North  Carolina,  and  assigned  by  them  to  ELELOCK  &  Co.,  February,  1866. 


SCRYMGEOUR,  WHITCOMB  &   Co., 

Stereotypes, 

15  WATER  STREET,  BOSTON. 


®0  tttt  Witoow  awfl 

OF    THE 

SOUTHERN    SOLDIERS    WHO    FELL    15    THE  CAUSE    FOR    WHICH 
JAGKSOM  GAVE  HIS   LIFE, 

is  gcbicateb  fottb  profound  Respect 

BY    THE    AUTHOR. 


342016 


PREFACE. 


PREFACE. 


THE  cause  for  which  General  Jackson  fought  and  died,  has  been 
overthrown.  But  it  is  believed  that  this  fact  has  not  diminished  the 
affectionate  reverence  for  his  memory,  and  interest  in  his  exploits,  felt 
by  those  who  labored  with  him  in  that  cause.  On  the  contrary,  they 
regard  the  events  which  have  occurred  since  his  lamented  death,  as 
farther  evidences  of  his  genius  and  prowess.  Although  he  who  un 
dertakes  to  write  the  history  of  an  acknowledged  failure  usually  has  a 
hopeless  and  discouraging  topic,  yet  the  lustre  of  Jackson's  exploits 
and  character  is  too  bright  to  be  dimmed,  even  by  disaster :  and  his 
is  universally  admitted,  by  his  friends  and  foes,  to  be  a  name  so  spot 
less  that  it  shines  independent  of  the  cause  with  which  he  was  con 
nected. 

My  chief  motive  for  supplying  this  customary  exordium  to  my  book, 
is  the  wish  to  answer  the  natural  question  in  the  reader's  mind,  what 
right  I  suppose  myself  to  have,  to  claim  qualification  for  the  task  I 
have  assumed.  My  answer  is,  that  it  has  been  entrusted  to  me  by  the 
widow  and  family  of  General  Jackson,  supported  by  the  urgency  of 
his  successor  in  command,  Lieutenant-General  Ewell,  of  his  venerable 
pastor,  and  of  many  other  friends,  in,  and  out  of  the  army.  One  ad 
vantage  for  my  work,  I  may  claim,  which  brings  far  more  of  responsi 
bility  than  of  credit  to  me,  in  the  possession  of  the  fullest  collection 
of  materials.  The  correspondence  of  General  Jacksoh  with  his  family, 
his  pastor,  and  his  most  prominent  friends  in  public  life,  has  been  in  my 
hands,  together  with  copies  of  all  the  important  official  papers  on  file  in 
the  War  Department  of  the  late  Confederate  Government.  I  have  had 
the  advantage  of  the  fullest  illustrations  of  the  battle-fields  and  the 


VI  PREFACE. 

theatre  of  war  where  General  Jackson  acted,  from  the  topograph 
ical  department  of  the  same  government,  and  from  careful  personal 
inspection.  It  was  also  my  privilege  to  enjoy  his  friendship,  although 
not  under  his  orders,  during  the  campaign  of  Manassa's,  in  1861 ;  and 
to  serve  next  his  person,  as  chief  of  his  Staff,  during  the  memorable 
campaigns  of  the  Valley  and  the  Chickahorniny,  in  1862.  So  that  I 
had  personal  knowledge  of  the  events  on  which  the  structure  of  his 
military  fame  was  first  reared. 

My  prime  object  has  been  to  portray  and  vindicate  his  Christian 
character,  that  his  countrymen  may  possess  it  as  a  precious  example, 
and  may  honor  that  God  in  it,  whom  he  so  delighted  to  honor.  It  is 
for  this  purpose  that  the  attempt  was  made  so  carefully  to  explain  and 
defend  his  action,  as  citizen  and  soldier,  in  recent  events.  Next,  it 
was  desired  to  unfold  his  military  genius,  as  displayed  in  his  cam 
paigns.  The  prominent  characteristic  of  General  Jackson  was  his 
scrupulous  truthfulness.  This  Life  has  been  written  under  the 
profound  impression,  that  no  quality  could  be  so  appropriate  as  this,- 
in  the  narrative  which  seeks  to  commemorate  his  noble  character. 
Hence,  the  most  laborious  pains  have  been  taken  to  verify  every  fact, 
and  to  give  the  story  in  its  sober  accuracy,  and  with  impartial  justice 
to  all.  I  am  well  aware  that  perfection  is  not  the  privilege  of  man,  in. 
any  of  his  works ;  and  hence  I  must  be  prepared  to  be  convinced,  by 
the  criticisms  of  others,  that  I  have  not  been  wholly  successful  in  this 
aim.  But  I  trust  I  have  been  so  far  successful,  as  to  receive  credit  for 
right  intentions.  And  especially  would  I  declare,  that  in  relating  the 
share  borne  by  General  Jackson's  comrades  and  subordinates  in  his 
campaigns,  I  have  been  actuated  by  a  cordial  and  friendly  desire  to  do 
justice  to  all.  If  I  shall  seem  to  any  to  have  done  less  than  this,  it 
will  be  my  misfortune,  and  not  my  intention. 

If  my  story  presents  the  hero  without  any  of  those  bizarre  traits, 
which  the  popular- fancy  loves  to  find  in  its  especial  favorites,  it  is 
hoped  that  the  picture  will  be,  for  this  reason,  more  symmetrical, 
and  if  not  so  startling,  more  pleasing  to  every  cultivated  mind. 
The  reader  may  at  least  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  it 
is  the  correct  picture,  save  that  no  pencil  can  do  justice  to  his 


PREFACE.  Vli 

devoted  patriotism,  his  diligence,  his  courage,  and  the  sanctity  of  his 
morals. 

The  reader  will  note  a  certain  polemic  tone  in  the  discussions  \vhich 
attend  the  narrative  ;  and  while  strict  truthfulness  has  been  studied, 
candid  expression  has  been  given  to  the  feelings  natural  to  a  partici 
pant  in  the  recent  struggle.  The  explanation  is,  in  part,  this  :  that 
the  whole  work  was  written  before  the  termination  of  the  contest ;  the 
first  portion,  containing  all  the  controversial  matter,  was  published  in 
Great  Britain  more  than  a  year  ago,  and  ha>3  been  circulated  in  that 
country  and  this  ;  and  the  remainder  of  the  biography  was  in  process  of 
publication  when  the  Confederate  armies  surrendered.  The  animus 
of  iny  book  will  not  appear  strange  to  any  oxie  who  remembers,  that 
when  it  was  published,  my  fellow-citizens  were  universally  engaged  in 
a  strenuous  war  against  the  United  States,  and  I  was  myself  in  the 
military  commission  of  the  Confederate  States.  The  question  may  be 
asked,  i)oes  not  the  termination  of  that  contest  by  the  complete 
submission  of  the  South,  point  out  the  propriety  of  modifying  the  tone 
of  the  work  ?  After  a  careful  consideration  of  this  question,  I  have 
been  constrained  to  believe,  that  it  was  best  to  leave  my  original 
work  substantially  untouched.  As  has  been  stated,  the  first  eight  chap 
ters,  containing  all  that  is  most  controversial,  had  been  irrevocably  given 
to  the  public,  many  months  before  the  end  of  the  war.  To  attempt  to 
recall  and  suppress  it  now,  would  appear  rather  a  foolish  scrupulosity 
than  sound  wisdom.  Nor  would  this  course  be  consistent  with  the 
interests  of  literature.  It  has  been  often  said,  that  cotemporaries 
cannot  write  impartial  histories  of  their  own  times,  because  of  their 
too  lively  sympathy  with  the  passions  which  agitate  the  actors.  It  is 
more  certainly  true,  that  if  cotemporaries  do  not  write,  with  such 
partiality  or  impartiality  as  they  may,  it  will  be  impossible  for  any 
other  historian  in  posterity,  to  write  a  truthful  narrative.  None  but 
eye-witnesses  and  actors  can  contribute  the  facts,  which  are  to  be  the 
materials  of  future  history.  And  their  facts  are  esteemed  by  the 
philosophic  and  judicial  compiler  of  the  subsequent  age,  as  scarcely 
more  important  than  their  animus.  He  wishes  to  know,  not  only 
•what  men  did,  but  how  they  felt,  —  how  the  events  transpiring 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

affected  them,  —  from  what  impulses  and  views  they  acted.  While 
he  does  not  blindly  adopt  the  passions  of  either  party,  it  is  these 
which  enable  tym  to  reproduce  the  very  complexion  and  color  of  the 
times  he  describes.  Hence,  it  is  for  the  interests  of  historic  truth  that 
those  who  describe  cotemporary  events,  should  give  candid  expression 
to  the  emotions  of  their  times. 

It  may  also  be  asked :  Does  not  the  duty  of  promoting  mutual  for 
bearance,  and  the  restoration  of  good  feeling  between  the  sections 
lately  at  war,  require  the  suppression  of  controverted  opinions,  and  of 
accusations,  which,  however  true,  can  now  be  urged  with  no  good 
result  ?  In  answering  this  objection,  I  shall  candidly  acknowledge 
myself  utterly  sceptical,  both  by  temperament  and  conviction,  of  that 
deceitful  and  glozing  philosophy,  by  which  it  is  dictated.  There  is  no 
true  and  solid  basis  for  public  well-being,  but  rectitude.  The  truth, 
manfully  spoken,  can  never  be  unwholesome.  If  the  complaints  of 
the  conquered  section  are  just,  then  they  ought  to  be  stated  and  dis 
cussed,  until  a  stable  foundation  for  peace,  good  government,  good 
feeling,  and  prosperity,  is  laid  in  just  and  magnanimous  treatment. 
If  those  complaints  are  unjust,  still  it  is  best  that  they  be  candidly 
stated,  respectfully  listened  to,  and  calmly  discussed,  as  long  as  they 
are  sincerely  entertained  in  the  hearts  of  the  sufferers  :  for  only  in  this 
way  can  they  be  eradicated.  It  is  to  me  simply  incredible,  that  a 
people  so  shrewd  and  practical  as  those  of  the  United  States,  should 
expect  us  to  have  discarded,  through  the  logic  of  the  sword  merely, 
the  convictions  of  a  lifetime ;  or  that  they  could  be  deceived  by  us, 
should  we  be  base  enough  to  assert  it  of  ourselves.  They  know  that  the 
people  of  the  South  were  conquered,  and  not  convinced ;  and  that  the 
authority  of  the  United  States  was  accepted  by  us  from  necessity,  and 
not  from  preference.  Should  they  hear  the  Southern  people  now  dis 
claiming  and  reprobating  the  principles  which  are  unfolded  in  my 
book  as  the  animating  principles  of  General  Jackson,  they  must  in 
evitably  remember,  that  this  Southern  people,  three  years  ago,  was 
unanimously  applauding  and  inciting  him  in  acting  them  out :  so  that 
it  would  be  self-evident  to  our  conquerors,  that  we  were  either  traitor 
ously  false  to  our  darling  hero,  then;  or  are  equally  false  to  them, 


PREFACE.  ,  iS 

now.  The  people  of  the  United  States  have  too  much  shrewdness 
ever  to  suppose,  that  thfe  sons  of  the  Revolutionary  sires  who,  as  their 
comrades,  assisted  in  winning  liberty  from  the  British  Lion,  and  who 
have  recently  given  new  proofs  of  their  undegenerate  manhood,  are 
spaniels,  to  be  made  affectionate  by  stripes.  The  people  of  the  South 
went  to  war,  because  they  sincerely  believed  (what  their  political 
fathers  had  taught  them,  with  one  voice,  for  two  generations)  that  the 
doctrine  of  State-sovereignty  for  which  they  fought,  was  absolutely, 
essential  as  the  bulwark  of  the  liberties  of  the  people.  They  have 
been  convinced  by  main  force,  that  they  are  unable  to  save  that  doc 
trine.  The  only  way  to  make  them  truly  loyal  again  to  the  govern 
ment  of  the  United  States,  is  to  convince  them  by  just  treatment, 
that  they  went  to  war  under  a  misapprehension,  and  that  their  lib 
erties  may  still  be  securely  and  fully  enjoyed  under  a  consolidated 
government.  It  would  be  only  a  useless  and  degrading  concealment, 
for  the  people  of  the  South  to  profess  a  suppression  of  the  honest  con 
victions  upon  which  they  have  lately  acted,  either  at  the  dictate  of 
deceit  on  their  part,  or  of  persecution  on  the  part  of  their  conquerors. 
For  these  reasons,  it  has  appeared  to  me  every  way  most  manly  and 
beneficial,  to  leave  this  explication  and  defence  of  General  Jackson's 
resistance  to  the  Federal  Government,  as  it  was  written  during  the 
progress  of  the  conflict.  Its  suppression  would  conceal  nothing,  and 
deceive  nobody :  its  publication  will  give  to  subsequent  generations  a 
lively  picture  of  the  temper  of  the  times. 

But  I  am  ready  to  add,  with  equal  candor,  that  when  I  thus  declare 
boldly  the  principles  upon  which  the  Virginians  of  1861  acted,  I  do 
not  intend  to  be  understood  as  retracting  that  acquiescence  in  the 
result  of  the  arbitrament  of  the  sword,  and  that  submission  promised 
by  me  in  common  with  almost  the  whole  South.  I  have  voluntarily 
sworn  to  obey  the  government  of  the  United  States,  as  at  present 
established  and  expounded  to  us  by  force  of  arms.  That  oath  it  is  my 
purpose  to  keep.  The  Federal  agent  who  administered  it  to  me 
taught  me  expressly  that  its  obligation  was  of  this  extent,  and  no 
more :  that  it  did  not  bind  me  to  think  or  say  the  principles  on  which 


X  PREFACE. 

I  had  acted  were  erroneous ;  but  to  abstain,  in  future,  from  the  asser 
tion  of  them  by  force  of  arms. 

It  only  remains  to  add  a  few  words  in  explanation  of  the  illustra 
tions  which  accompany  the  text.  It  is  earnestly  recommended  to  the 
attentive  reader,  that  he  shall  connect  his  perusal  of  the  descriptive 
parts  of  the  narrative  with  a  careful  study  of  the  map  of  Virginia. 
This  is  so  accessible  to  all  Americans,  that  it  was  thought  superfluous 
to  burden  this  work  with  the  expense  of  its  insertion.  A  simple 
diagram  is  inserted,  to  facilitate  the  comprehension  of  each  of  the 
more  important  battles.  These  plates  have  been  carefully  prepared, 
from  actual  inspections  and  surveys,  made  by  Confederate  engineers ; 
but  they  are  simplified  by  leaving  out  all  except  the  most  essential 
lines  and  features.  The  intelligent  reader,  even  though  not  a  military 
man,  will  readily  apprehend,  that  the  representation  of  the  positions 
of  brigades  and  divisions  of  troops  in  action,  by  lines  upon  a  diagram, 
can  only  be  approximately  correct.  The  lines  of  ink  are,  of  course, 
stationary;  the  lines  of  troops  in  action  are  never  long  so.  The 
relative  position  assigned  to  two  divisions  on  the  diagram  may  be  a 
correct  representation  of  their  relation  on  the  field  of  actual  strife,  for 
a  fleeting  moment  only ;  a  minute  more  may  have  changed  it.  The 
diagram  must,  perforce,  either  contain  both  of  two  divisions  at  once, 
which  in  fact  only  occupied  the  field  successively ;  or  it  must  suggest 
a  still  graver  error,  by  the  total  omission  of  one  of  them.  But  if 
these  obvious  considerations  are  borne  in  mind,  and  the  illustrations 
are  studied  in  connection  with  the  narrative,  they  will  convey  no 
mistake,  and  will  be  found  to  represent,  with  general  correctness,  the 
positions  and  movements  of  the  Confederate  troops. 

ROBERT  L.  DABNEY. 

UNION  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY, 
VA.,  April  1,  I860. 


CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER    I. 

PAGE 

PARENTAGE  AND  EARLY  YEARS, 1 — 2S 

CHAPTER    II. 
THE  CADET, 29—40 

CHAPTER    III. 
IN  MEXICO,  ;        .  •  41 — 58 

CHAPTER    IV. 
LIFE  IN  LEXINGTON,        .......  59 — 124 

CHAPTER    V. 

SECESSION,'    .         ...     .         .         .         .     ,.         •          125—176 

CHAPTER    VI. 
FIRST  CAMPAIGN  IN  THE  VALLEY,  .         .        «         177—^205 

CHAPTER    VII. 
MANASSAS,       .      *.  ^  .^      j%       .         .         .  '      .          206—251 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
WINTER  CAMPAIGN  IN  THE  VALLEY,  1861-62,         .          252—286 

CHAPTER    IX. 

GENERAL  VIEW  or  THE  CAMPAIGNS  OF  1862,          .          287 — 307 


COXTEXTS. 
CHAPTER    X. 


KEENSTOWN, 


CHAPTER    XI. 

M'DOWELL, 


CHAPTER    XII. 


WiNCHESTEE, 


CHAPTER    XIII. 
POET  REPUBLIC, 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

THE  RICHMOND  CAMPAIGN, 

CHAPTER    XV. 
CEDAK  RUN,   .... 


CHAPTER    XVI. 


SECOND  MANASSA'S, 


CHAPTER    XVII. 
THE  CAMPAIGN  IN  MARYLAND, 

CHAPTER    XVIII. 
FEEDEEICKSBUEG,    ...... 

CHAPTER    XIX. 
CHANCELLOESYILLE,          ..... 

CHAPTER    XX. 
DEATH  AND  BUEIAL, 


PAGE 

308—331 


332—354 


355—392 


393—430 


431—485 


486—508 


509—541 


542—581 


582—659 


660—705 


706—742 


:        LIFE  OF      : 
IIEUT.-GEN.  THOMAS  J.  JACKSON, 


CHAPTER    I. 


THE  family  from  which  General  Jackson  came,  was  founded 
in  Western  Virginia  by  John  Jackson,  an  emigrant  from  Lon 
don.  His  stock  was  Scotch-Irish ;  and  it  is  most  probable  that 
John  Jackson  himself  was  removed  by  his  parents  from  the 
north  of  Ireland  to  London,  in  his  second  year.  Nearly  fifty 
years  after  he  left  England,  his  son,  Colonel  George  Jackson, 
while  a  member  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  formed  a 
friendship  with  the  celebrated  Andrew  Jackson  of  Tennessee, 
afterwards  the  victor  of  New  Orleans,  and  President ;  and  the 
two  traced  their  ancestry  up  to  the  same  parish  near  London 
derry.  Although  no  more  intimate  relationship  could  be  estab 
lished  between  the  families,  such  a  tie  is  rendered  probable  by 
their  marked  resemblance  in  energy  and  courage,  as  illustrated 
not  only  in  the  career  of  the  two  great  commanders  who  have 
made  the  name  immortal,  but  of  other  members  of  their  houses. 
John  Jackson  was  brought  up  in  London,  and  became  a  reputa 
ble  and  prosperous  tradesman.  He  determined  to  transfer  his 


2  LIFE   OF    LIEIJT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

rising  fortunes  to  the  British  colonies  in  America,  and  crossed 
the  seas  in  1748,  landing  first  in  the  plantations  of  Lord  Balti 
more.  In  Calvert  County,  Maryland,  he  married  Elizabeth 
Cummins,  a  young  woman  also  from  London,  of  excellent 
character  and  respectable  education.  The  young  couple,  after 
the  common  fashion  of  American  emigrants,  proceeded  at  once 
to  seek  for  new  and  cheaper  lands  on  which  to  establish  their 
household  gods,  and  made  their  first  home  on  the  south  branch 
of  the  Potomac  River,  at  the  place  now  known  as  Moorefields, 
the  county  scat  of  Hardy  County.  But  after  residing  for  a  time 
in  this  lovely  valley,  John  Jackson,  with  his  young  family, 
crossed  the  main  Alieghany  ridge  into  Northwestern  Virginia, 
where  lands  yet  wider  allured  his  enterprising  spirit.  He  fixed 
his  home  on  the  Buchanan  River,  in  what  was  first  Randolph, 
but  is  now  Upshur  County,  at  a  place  long  known  as  Jackson's 
Fort,  now  occupied  by  the  little  village  of  Buchanan.  Here  he 
spent  his  active  life,  and  reared  his  family. 

He  is  said  to  have  been  a  spare,  diminutive  man,  of  plain 
mind,  quiet  but  determined  character,  sound  judgment,  and 
excellent  morals.  His  wife  was  a  woman  of  masculine  stature ; 
and  her  understanding  and  energies  corresponded  to  the  vigor 
of  her  bodily  frame.  When  the  young  couple  emigrated  to  the 
Northwest,  the  Indians  were  still  contesting  the  occupancy  of 
its  teeming  valleys  with  the  white  men.  The  colonists  were 
compelled  to  provide  for  their  security  by  building  stockade- 
forts,  into  which  they  retreated  with  their  families  and  cattle  at 
every  alarm  of  a  savage  incursion.  It  is  the  tradition  that,  in 
more  than  one  of  these  sieges,  Elizabeth  Cummins  proved  her 
self,  though  a  woman,  to  have  "the  stomach  and  mettle  of  a 
man,"  and  rendered  valuable  service  by  aiding  and  inspiriting 
the  resistance  of  the  defenders.  In  her  industry  and  enterprise 
was  realized  King  Lemuel's  description  of  the  ways  of  the  vir- 


ANCESTRY.  3 

tuous  woman :  "  She  consideretli  a  field,  and  buyeth  it ;  with  the 
fruit  of  her  hands  she  planteth  a  vineyard.''  Several  patents 
are  still  in  existence,  conveying  to  her,  in  her  own  name,  lands 
which  were  afterwards  the  valuable  possessions  of  her  posterity. 
They  have  usually  claimed  .that  the  characteristics  of  their  race 
were  largely  inherited  from  her;  that  it  was  her  sterling  integ 
rity,  vigorous  intellect,  and  directness  of  purpose  which  gave 
them  their  type. 

The  picturesque  country,  which  now  became  the  home  oi  tne 
Jacksons,  descends  gradually  from  the  watershed  of  the  Appala 
chian  range  to  the  Ohio  river,  but  is  filled  with  ridges  parallel 
to  the  main  crest,  of  which  the  nearest  are  also  lofty  mountains, 
while  the  more  western  subside  into  bold  and  fertile  hills.  The 
grander  heights  were  covered  with  magnificent  forests  of  spruce 
and  fir,  intermingled  with  tangled  thickets  of  laurel :  but  as  the 
traveller  approached  the  Ohio,  and  the  mountains  sank  into 
swelling  highlands,  he  found  the  ridges  fertile,  almost  beyond 
belief;  the  slopes,  clothed  to  their  tops  with  giant  groves  of 
oak  and  chestnut,  poplar,  linden,  beech,  and  sugar-maple ;  the 
hills,  separated  by  placid  streams  flowing  through  smooth 
valleys  and  meadows,  and  their  sides  everywhere  filled  with 
beds  of  the  richest  coal.  The  waters  which  refresh  this  goodly 
land  flow  northward,  and  compose  the  Monongahela,  which 
contributes  its  streams  at  Pittsburg,  in  Pennsylvania,  to  form 
the  Ohio  in  union  with  those  of  the  Alleghany.  The  mingled 
currents  then  turn  southward,  and  form  the  western  border  of 
Northern  Virginia,  separating  it  from  the  territory  of  Ohio. 
As  all  highlands  usually  decline  in  elevation  with  the  enlarge 
ment  of  their  watercourses,  the  northern  part  of  this  district, 
embraced  within  the  boundaries  of  Pennsylvania,  is  less  rugged 
than  the  southern.  Settlements,  therefore,  naturally  proceeded 
from  the  smoother  regions  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  into  the 


4  LIFE    OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

hills  of  Northwestern  Virginia ;  and  thus  it  came  to  pass  that, 
in  the  latter  district,  the  northern  counties  were  at  first  the 
more  cultivated,  and  the  southern  bore  to  them  the  relation  of 
frontiers.  The  emigrants  found  that  they  had  not  descended 
very  far  from  the  loftier  ranges  of  the  Alleghany  and  Cheat 
mountains  before  they  left  behind  them  the  rigors  of  their 
Alpine  climate.  Wherever  the  valleys  were  cleared  of  their 
woods,  they  clothed  themselves  with  the  richest  sward,  and 
teemed  with  corn,  wheat,  the  vine,  the  peach,  and  all  the  pro 
ducts  of  Eastern  Virginia.  But  this  fertile  region  could  only 
be  reached  from  the  east  by  a  few  rude  highways,  almost 
impracticable  for  carriages,  which  wound  their  way  among  and 
over  the  ridges  of  a  wide  labyrinth  of  mountains. 

Hither  the  patriarch  of  the  Jacksons  removed  before  the  war 
of  the  American  Revolution.  In  that  struggle,  he  and  his  elder 
sons  bore  their  part  as  soldiers ;  and  at  its  close,  they  returned 
to  their  rural  pursuits.  With  the  practical  sagacity  for  which 
the  Scotch-Irish  emigrant  is  always  noted,  he  and  his  wife  bent 
their  energies  to  founding  fortunes  for  their  children,  by  acquir 
ing  the  most  valuable  lands  of  the  country,  while  they  were 
unoccupied  and  cheap.  In  this  aim  they  were  successful,  and 
their  numerous  children  were  all  endowed  with  farms,  which 
now  make  their  holders  wealthy.  After  a  long  and  active  life, 
they  removed  to  the  house  of  Colonel  George  Jackson,  their 
eldest  son,  at  Clarksburg,  the  county  seat  of  Harrison  County, 
now  a  village  of  note  on  the  southern  branch  of  the  great  Bal 
timore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  and  about  forty  miles  from  the 
Pennsylvanian  border.  The  death  of  the  old  man,  in  this  quiet 
retreat,  is  thus  recorded  by  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  his 
descendants,  John  G-.  Jackson,  of  Clarksburg,  Judge  of  the 
Court  of  the  United  States  for  the  Western  District  of  Virginia. 
He  writes  to  Mrs.  Madison,  whose  sister  he  had  married,  in 


DEATH   OP   JOHN   JACKSON.  5 

1801 : — "Death,  on  the  25th  of  September,  pi.t  a  period  to  the 
existence  of  my  aged  grandfather,  John  Jackson,  in  the  eighty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age.  The  long  life  of  this  good  man  was 
spent  in  those  noble  and  virtuous  pursuits,  which  endear  men 
to  their  acquaintance,  and  make  their  decease  sincerely  regretted 
by  all  the  good  and  virtuous.  He  was  a  native  of  England, 
and  migrated  hither  in  the  year  1748.  He  took  an  active  part 
in  the  revolutionary  war  in  favor  of  Independence,  and,  upon  the 
establishment  of  it,  returned  to  his  farming,  which  he  laboriously 
pursued  until  the  marriage  of  his  younger  son,  when  he  was 
prevailed  upon  by  my  father  to  come  and  reside  near  him ;  there 
he  lived  for  several  years  with  his  wife,  enjoying  all  his  mental 
faculties,  and  great  corporeal  strength,  until  a  few  days  before 
his  death.  I  saw  him  breathe  his  last  in  the  arms  of  my  aged 
grandmother,  and  can  truly  add,  that  to  live  and  die  as  he  did 
would  be  the  excess  of  happiness. 

"  He  left  a  valuable  real-estate  at  the  entire  disposal  of  the 
widow,  with  the  concurrence  of  all  the  natural  heirs,  as  his  lib 
erality  had  been  amply  experienced  by  them  all  in  his  lifetime." 

Elizabeth,  his  wife,  survived  him  until  1825,  beloved  and 
respected  by  all  who  knew  her,  and  reached  the  extreme  age  of 
one  hundred  and  five  years.  Hers  were  stamina,  both  of  the 
physical  and  moral  constitution,  fitting  her  to  rear  a  race  that 
were  men  indeed.  The  reader  will  be  detained  a  moment,  to 
note  the  names  and  characters  of  her  children,  in  order  that  the 
springs  of  General  Jackson's  nature  may  be  the  better  illus 
trated,  and  also  that  his  widely  scattered  kindred  may  be 
enabled  to  ascertain  their  relationship  to  this  world-famous 
hero.  The  eldest  son  was  George  Jackson,  who  lived  at  Clarks 
burg,  the  seat  of  justice  for  Harrison  County,  and  was  a  promi 
nent  and  influential  man  in  the  settlement  of  Northwestern 
Virginia.  Having  taken  part  with  his  father  in  the  Revolution- 


6  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENEBAL    JACKSOX. 

ary  "War,  he  became  a  colonel  in  the  forces  which,  at  the  close 
of  the  great  struggle,  expelled  the  Indians  finally  from  his 
district.  Pie  was  one  of  the  first  delegates  from  Harrison 
County  in  the  General  Assembly  of  Virginia,  was  a  member  for 
that  county  in  the  State  Convention  by  which  Virginia  accepted 
the  Federal  Constitution,  and  was  first  delegate  from  his  district 
to  the  first  Congress  of  the  United  States  which  sat  under  it. 
After  his  father's  death,  he  removed  to  Zanesville,  Ohio,  where 
his  life  was  ended.  The  second  son  was  Edward,  the  grand 
father  of  General  Jackson,  who,  after  several  removals,  fixed 
his  home  on  the  west  fork  of  the  Monongahela,  four  miles  north 
of  Weston,  the  present  chief  town  of  Lewis  County.  He  was 
a  man  of  a  spare  and  athletic  frame,  energetic  character,  and 
good  understanding,  beloved  and  respected  by  his  acquaintances. 
Filling  for  a  long  time  the  place  of  surveyor  for  the  great 
county  of  Randolph,  he  acquired  much  valuable  land,  and  left  to 
each  one  of  his  fifteen  children  a  respectable  patrimony.  He, 
with  his  father  and  elder  brother,  was  actively  engaged  in  the 
Revolutionary  and  Indian  wars. 

The  third  son  was  Samuel  Jackson,  who  emigrated  to  Indiana, 
and  left  a  numerous  family  near  the  town  of  Torre  Haute. 
The  fourth  and  fifth  sons,  John  and  Henry,  lived  near  the  place 
of  their  birth  on  Buchanan  river;  but  of  their  many  children, 
several  found  their  way  to  the  extreme  West.  Each  of  these 
five  sons  of  John  Jackson  was  twice  married,  and  left  a  numer 
ous  progeny.  There  were  also  three  daughters,  who  married 
residents  of  the  country,  and  left  descendants  bearing  the  name 
of  Davis,  Brake,  and  Regar. 

Talent  and  capacity  were  not  limited  to  this  second  genera 
tion.  The  sons  of  George  Jackson  deserve  especially  to  be 
noted  among  the  men  of  the  third  generation.  Of  these,  the 
eldest  was  John  G.  Jackson,  a  lawyer  of  great  distinction  at 


JOHN  JACKSON'S  POSTERITY.  7 

Clarksburg.  He  succeeded  his  father  in  Congress,  married  first 
Miss  Payne,  the  sister  of  the  accomplished  lady  who  married 
Mr.  Madison,  President  of  the  United  States;  and  then,  the 
only  daughter  of  Mr.  Meigs,  Governor  of  Ohio,  afterwards  Post 
master-General  ;  who  was  appointed  first  Federal  Judge  for  the 
district  of  West  Virginia.  This  office  he  filled  with  distinction 
until  his  death  about  the  year  1825.  He  was  a  learned  lawyer, 
a  man  of  great  energy  and  enterprise,  and  sought  to  develop 
the  resources  of  his  country  by  the  building  of  iron  furnaces 
and  forges,  mills,  woollen  factories,  and  salt-works.  These 
endeavors  absorbed  large  sums  of  money,  and  at  his  death  left 
his  princely  estate  heavily  embarrassed.  The  other  sons  of  this 
family  were  Edward,  a  respectable  physician ;  William  L.,  a 
lawyer,  and  father  of  a  relative  and  cotcmporary  of  Genera) 
Jackson ;  Colonel  William  L.  Jackson,  late  Lieutenant-Governoi 
of  the  State,  and  then  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court;  and  George 
Washington,  long  a  citizen  of  Ohio,  and  now  an  honorable  exile, 
by  reason  of  political  persecution,  for  his  fidelity  to  his  native 
land.  It  was  his  son,  Colonel  Alfred  Jackson,  who,  after  serv 
ing  on  the  staff  of  the  General,  received  a  mortal  wound  in  the 
battle  of  Cedar  Hun,  and  now  lies  near  him,  in  the  graveyard  of 
Lexington. 

The  character  which  the  founders  impressed  upon  their  house 
will  now  be  understood.  From  their  forethought  and  virtues,  it 
became  the  most  noted,  wealthy,  and  influential  in  their  country. 
They  usually  possessed  the  best  lands  and  most  numerous* 
slaves,  occupied  the  posts  of  influence  and  power  which  were  in 
the  gift  of  their  fellow-citizens,  and  sent  some  member  of  their 
family  to  the  General  Assembly  of  their  State,  or  the  Congress 
at  Washington.  They  were  marked  by  strong  arid  character 
istic  physiognomies,  close  family  attachments,  determination 
and  industry  in  their  undertakings,  and  a  restless  love  of  adven- 


8  LIFE   OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

ture.  Their  race  is  now  scattered  from  Virginia  to  Oregon. 
More  than  one  of  them  has  been  led,  by  his  love  of  roving,  to 
the  most  secluded  recesses  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  as  explorers 
and  hunters.  All  of  them  were  energetic  and  skilful  to  acquire 
wealth,  but  not  all  of  them  were  able  to  retain  it.  Many  of 
the  second  and  third  generations  were  noted  for  a  passion  for 
litigation  —  prompted  not  so  much  by  avarice  as  by  the  love  of 
intellectual  excitement,  and  by  a  temper  intolerant  of  supposed 
injustice ;  and  almost  the  whole  race  were  utterly  incapable  of 
resisting  the  fascination  of  machinenr.  Every  Jackson  owned 
a  mill  or  factory  of  some  sort  —  many  of  them  more  than  one, — 
where  they  delighted  to  exercise  the  ingenuity  and  resources  of 
the  self-taught  mechanic.  In  a  country  like  theirs,  of  sparse 
population,  and  more  devoted  to  the  rearing  of  cattle  than  of 
grain,  it  may  easily  be  conceived  that  these  toys  ministered 
more  to  their  possessors'  pleasure  than  to  their  wealth.  Colonel 
Edward  Jackson,  the  grandfather  of  General  Jackson,  was,  as 
has  been  said,  the  second  son  of  his  parents.  His  second 
marriage  brought  him  nine  sons  and  daughters.  His  first  wife, 
by  birth  a  Hadden,  bore  three  sons,  George,  David  and  Jona 
than,  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  one  married  a  gentleman 
named  White,  and  two,  respectable  farmers  of  German  extrac 
tion,  named  Brake. 

Jonathan  Jackson,  the  father  of  the  subject  of  this  work, 
adopted  the  profession  of  law,  having  pursued  his  preparatory 
studies  in  the  family,  and  under  the  guidance  of  his  distinguished 
cousin,  Judge  Jackson  of  Clarksburg.  His  patronage  induced 
him  to  go  to  that  place  —  the  last  seat  of  his  forefather's  resi 
dence  —  to  prosecute  his  calling.  About  the  same  time  he 
married  Julia  Neale,  the  daughter  of  an  intelligent  merchant 
in  the  village  of  Parkersburg,  in  Wood  County,  on  the  Ohio 
river.  The  fruits  of  this  marriage  were  four  children,  of  whom 


FATHER   OF   GENERAL   JACKSON.  9 

the  eldest  was  named  Warren,  the  second  Elizabeth  the  third 
Thomas  Jonathan,  and  the  fourth  Laura.  Thomas  \\  as  born  in 
Clarksburg,  January  21,  1824.  The  early  death  of  his  parents 
and  dispersion  of  the  little  family,  obliterated  the  record  of  the 
exact  date,  so  that  General  Jackson  himself  was  unable  to  fix  it 
with  certainty.  Of  these  children  none  now  live  save  the 
youngest,  who  survives  as  a  worthy  matron  in  Randolph 
County. 

Jonathan  Jackson,  the  General's  father,  is  said  to  have  been, 
what  was  unusual  in  his  race,  a  man  of  short  stature ;  his  face 
was  ruddy,  pleasing,  and  intelligent;  his  temper  genial  and 
affectionate,  and  susceptible  of  the  warmest  and  most  generous 
attachments.  He  was  a  man  of  strong,  distinct  understanding, 
arid  held  a  respectable  rank  as  a  lawyer.  While  he  displayed 
little  of  the  popular  eloquence-  of  the  advocate,  his  knowledge 
and  judgment  made  him  a  valued  counsellor,  and  his  chief  dis 
tinction  was  as  a  Chancery  lawyer.  His  patrimony  was  ade 
quate  to  all  reasonable  wants;  the  lands  which  he  inherited 
from  his  father  are  now  so  valuable  as  to  confer  independence 
on  their  present  owners.  But  a  temper  too  social  and  facile 
betrayed  him  into  some  of  the  prevalent  dissipations  of  the 
country;  incautious  engagements  embarrassed  him  with  the 
debts  of  his  friends ;  and  high  play  assisted  to  swallow  up  his 
estate.  He  at  length  became  dependent  wholly  upon  his  pro 
fessional  labors,  which  yielded  his  family  only  a  moderate  sup 
port,  while  he  owned  no  real  estate  but  the  house  in  which  he 
lived.  Not  very  long  after  the  birth  of  his  fourth  child,  and 
when  Thomas  was  three  years  old,  his  daughter  Elizabeth  was 
seized  with  a  malignant  fever.  He  watched  her  sick-bed  until 
her  death,  with  a  tender  assiduity  which,  combined  with  his 
grief  at  the  bereavement,  and  perhaps  with  his  business  troubles, 
prostrated  his  strength ;  and  within  a  fortnight  after  his  daughter 


10  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.- GENERAL   JACKSON. 

he  sunk,  by  the  same  disease,  into  a  premature  grave.  This 
unexpected  end  was  all  that  was  needed  to  complete  the  ruin  of 
his  affairs.  Out  of  their  wreck  absolutely  nothing  seems  to 
have  been  saved  for  his  widow  and  babes.  The  Masonic  Order, 
•  of  which  Jonathan  Jackson  was  an  officer,  gave  to  the  widow  a 
little  cottage  of  a  single  room.  In  this  dwelling  she  applied 
herself  to  the  task  of  earning  a  living  for  herself  arid  Children, 
by  her  needle  and  the  labors  of  a  little  school. 

She  is  represented  as  a  lady  of  graceful  and  commanding 
presence,  spare,  and  above  the  ordinary  height  of  females,  of  a 
comely  and  engaging  countenance.  Her  mind  was  cultivated 
and  intelligent;  and  it  is  probable  that  much  of  the  talent  of 
her  children  was  inherited  through  her.  Her  constitution  had 
pulmonary  tendencies,  which  were  evidently  entailed  on  her 
distinguished  son.  Her  mind  was  sprightly,  and  her  tempera 
ment  mercurial,  at  one  time  rising  to  gaiety  under  the  stimulus 
of  social  enjoyment,  and  at  another  sinking  to  despondency 
under  the  pressure  of  her  troubles.  But  her  character  was 
crowned  with  unaffected  piety.  While  her  parentage  and  edu 
cation  would  have  inclined  her  to  the  Presbyterian  persuasion, 
the  difficulty  of  reaching  their  ministrations  caused  her  to 
become  a  member  of  the  Wesleyan  or  Methodist  communion. 
General  Jackson  always  spoke  of  her  with  tender  affection, 
and  traced  his  first  sacred  impressions  to  her  lessons.  When  a 
daughter  was  born  to  him  a  few  months  before  his  own  death, 
he  caused  her  to  be  baptized  with  his  mother's  name,  Julia 
Nealc.  In  the  year  1830,  Mrs.  Jackson,  whose  youth  and  beauty 
still  fitted  her  to  please,  married  Mr.  Woodson,  a  lawyer  of 
Cumberland  County,  Virginia,  whom  the  rising  importance  of 
the  Northwest  had  attracted,  along  with  many  other  Eastern 
Virginians,  to  that  country.  He  was  a  sort  of  decayed  gentle 
man,  much  Mrs.  Jackson's  senior, — a  widower,  without  pro- 


HIS  MOTHER   DIES.  11 

perty,  but  of  fair  character,  and  of  a  popular,  social  turn. 
The  marriage  was  distasteful  to  Mrs.  Jackson's  relatives.  They 
threatened,  as  a  sort  of  penalty  for  it,  to  take  the  maintenance 
and  education  of  the  children  out  of  the  widow's  hands,  and 
offered,  as  an  inducement  on  the  opposite  side,  liberal  pecuniary 
aid  if  she  would  continue  to  bear  her  first  husband's  name.  But 
love,  as  usual,  was  omnipotent.  Upon  her  marriage  to  Mr.  Wood- 
son,  his  scanty  resources  compelled  her  to  accept  the  protection 
of  her  former  husband's  kindred  for  her  children,  which  she  had 
at  first  declined  as  an  infliction.  The  second  husband's  profes 
sional  success  was  limited,  and  he  very  soon  accepted  from  his 
friend,  Judge  Duncan,  who  had  also  intermarried  with  the  Jack 
son  family,  the  office  of  Clerk  of  the  Court  in  the  county  of  Fay- 
ette,  which  lies  on  the  New  River,  west  of  Greenbrier.  After  one 
year  of  married  life,  Mrs.  Woodson's  constitution  sank  upon  giving 
birth  to  a  son ;  two  months  after,  she  died,  on  the  4th  of  Decem 
ber,  1831 ;  and  her  remains  await  their  resurrection  not  far 
from  the  famous  Hawk's  Nest  of  New  River.  Her  husband 
announced  her  death  to  her  friends  in  these  words  : — "No  Chris 
tian  on  earth,  no  matter  what  evidence  he  might  have  had  of  a 
happy  hereafter,  could  have  died  with  more  fortitude.  Per 
fectly  in  her  senses,  calm  and  deliberate,  she  met  her  fate 
without  a  murmur  or  a  struggle.  Death  for  her  had  no  stin^; 
the  grave  could  claim  no  victory.  I  have  known  few  women 
of  equal,  none  of  superior  merit."  The  infant,  thus  early 
bereaved  of  her  care,  lived  to  man's  estate,  and  died  of  pul 
monary  disease,  doubtless  inherited  from  his  mother,  in  the 
State  of  Missouri.  Thomas,  then  seven  years  old,  with  his 
brother  and  sister,  had  been  sent  for  to  visit  his  mother  in 
her  sickness,  and  he  remained  to  witness  her  death.  To  his 
Christian  friends  he  stated,  long  afterwards,  that  the  wholesome 
impression  of  her  dying  instructions  and  prayers,  and  of  her 


f2  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.-GENEEAL   JACKSON. 

triumph  over  the  grave,  had  never  been  erased  from  his  heart. 
In  his  manhood,  he  delighted  to  think  of  her  as  the  impersona 
tion  of  sweetness,  grace,  and  beauty ;  and  he  could  never  relate, 
without  tenderness,  the  events  of  his  departure  from  his  uncle's 
house,  when  she  had  him  mounted  behind  the  last  of  his  father's 
slaves,  "  good  old  Uncle  Robinson,"  and  recalled  him  so  anx 
iously,  to  give  the  last  touch  to  the  arrangements  for  his  com 
fort.  She  had  no  other  legacy  to  leave  him  than  her  prayers ; 
but  these  availed  to  shield  him  through  all  the  untoward  inci 
dents  of  his  orphanage  and  his  eventful  life;  and  they  were 
answered  by  the  most  glorious  endowments  of  grace  and  virtue 
which  the  heart  of  a  dying  parent  could  crave  for  a  child,  —  a 
cheering  instance  of  God's  faithfulness  to  his  people  and  their 
seed. 

The  orphans  thus  thrown  upon  the  wide  world,  received 
shelter  at  first  from  their  father's  sisters,  Mrs.  White — for  whom 
Thomas  always  cherished  a  tender  gratitude  —  and  Mrs.  Brake. 
His  home  was  with  the  latter,  about  four  miles  from  Clarks 
burg.  He  was  then  a  pretty  and  engaging  child,  with  rosy  and 
almost  feminine  cheeks,  waving  brown  hair,  and  large  pensive 
blue  eyes.  It  was  said  of  him  that,  in  the  waywardness  and 
levity  which  are  usually  seen  at  his  age,  he  never  was  a  child. 
The  little  fellow  had  a  manly  innate  courtesy,  and  strange, 
quiet  thoughtfulncss,  united  with  a  determination  beyond  his 
years,  which  drew  wonder  and  love  from  his  relatives.  An 
incident,  which  is  most  fully  authenticated,  occurring  when 
he  was  but  eight  years  old,  shows  that  nature  made  him,  from 
the  first,  of  another  mould  from  that  of  common  men.  He 
appeared  one  day  at  the  house  of  his  father's  cousin,  Judge 
John  G.  Jackson,  in  Clarksburg,  and  addressing  Mrs.  Jackson 
by  the  title  of  aunt,  which  he  usually  gave  her,  asked  her  to 
give  him  dinner.  While  he  was  eating  it,  he  remarked,  in  a 


CHILDISH   TRAITS.  13 

very  quiet  tone,  "Uncle  Brake  and  I  don't  agree;  I  have  quit 
him,  and  shall  not  go  back  any  more."  His  kind  hostess  re 
monstrated  against  this  purpose  as  a  childish  whim.  He 
listened  most  respectfully  to  all  her  reasoning,  but  returned  to 
the  same  resolute  declaration,  —  "No;  Uncle  Brake  and  I  can't 
agree ;  I  have  quit,  and  shall  not  go  back  any  more."  It  would 
seem  that  the  husband  of  his  aunt,  though  an  honest,  was  an 
exacting  man,  and  had  made  the  mistake  of  attempting  to 
govern  the  orphan  through  force,  instead  of  through  his  under 
standing  and  conscience.  And  the  singular  child,  having 
concluded  that  his  stay  under  his  authority  would  never  be 
congenial,  had  calmly  determined,  with  the  same  inexorable 
will  which  he  displayed  in  after  years,  to  end  the  connexion  at 
once.  From  Judge  Jackson's  he  went  to  a  favorite  cousin's, 
lately  married  and  living  in  her  own  house,  and  asked  leave  of 
her  to  spend  the  night.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  he 
announced  his  purpose  of  leaving  his  home,  and,  after  listening 
respectfully  to  her  remonstrances  likewise,  returned  resolutely 
to  his  old  formula :  "  No ;  Uncle  Brake  and  I  don't  agree ;  I 
have  quit  there ;  I  shall  not  go  back  any  more."  Accordingly, 
the  next  morning,  he  set  out  from  Clarksburg  alone,  and  trav 
elled  on  foot  to  the  former  home  of  his  grandfather,  in  Lewis 
County,  about  eighteen  miles  distant,  then  belonging  to  Cummins 
Jackson,  the  half-brother  of  his  father.  There  he  was  kindly 
received,  and,  in  the  affectionate  protection  of  his  uncle  arid  of 
two  maiden  aunts,  afterwards  Mrs.  Carpenter  and  Mrs.  Hall, 
then  residing  with  him,  found  the  home  he  wanted.  It  was  the 
more  attractive  to  him  that  his  elder  brother,  Warren,  was  now 
sharing  the  same  refuge.  This  remarkable  man  deserves  our 
notice,  not  only  for  his  paternal  kindness  to  the  orphan,  but  for 
the  influence  which  he  exerted,  and  for  that  which,  contrary  to 
all  human  calculation,  he  failed  to  exert  upon  him.  He  was 


14  LIFE    OF    LlEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

then  approaching  middle  life,  a  bachelor,  of  lofty  stature  and 
most  athletic  frame,  and  full  of  all  the  rugged  energy  of  his 
race.  The  native  powers  of  his  mind,  although  not  cultivated 
by  a  liberal  education,  were  so  strong,  that  some  of  his  acquaint 
ances  have  declared  him  to  be,  in  their  opinion,  the  ablest  man 
they  ever  knew.  His  will  was  as  strong  as  his  understanding, 
and  his  passions  were  vehement  and  enduring.  As  a  friend,  he 
was  steadfast,  and  generous,  without  stint;  and,  though  forbear 
ing  and  slow  to  take  offence,  as  an  enemy  he  was  equally  bitter 
and  unforgiving.  Such  was  his  liberality,  that  his  poorer  neigh 
bors  and  dependants  adored  him.  He  never  had  political 
aspirations  for  himself,  but  his  unbounded  influence  usually  gave 
the  honors  of  his  country  to  the  person  whom  he  favored. 
Yet  his  business  morals,  save  when  he  was  bound  by  his  own 
voluntary  promises,  which  he  always  sacredly  fulfilled,  were 
accounted  unscrupulous;  and  he  was  so  passionately  fond  of 
litigation,  that  his  legal  controversies  consumed  a  large  part 
of  the  income  of  a  liberal  estate  and  the  earnings  of  his  own 
giant  industry.  He  owned  a  valuable  farm  and  mills,  and  was 
one  of  the  largest  slaveholders  in  the  county  of  Lewis.  His 
occupations  were  agriculture,  and  the  preparation  of  lumber 
and  flour,  diversified  with  the  hardy  sports  of  a  forest  coun 
try.  In  this  plain  but  plentiful  home,  Thomas  lived  until 
he  became  a  cadet  of  West  Point,  with  one  noted  interval, 
which  shall  be  related.  He  received  all  the  privileges  of 
a  son  of  the  family.  The  relation  existing  between  him  and 
his  uncle  was,  from  the  first,  remarkable.  He  treated  the  little 
boy  more  as  a  companion  than  as  a  child,  soothing  for  him  all 
the  ruggedness  of  his  nature,  imparting  to  him  his  plans  and 
thoughts  as  though  to  an  equal  and  counsellor,  making  him  his 
delighted  pupil  in  all  the  rural  arts  in  which  he  was  himself  an 
unrivalled  adept,  and  always  rather  requesting  than  demanding 


his  compliance  with  the  discipline  of  his  household.  Tho  child 
was  thus  stimulated  in  the  work  of  his  own  self-government 
from  a  very  early  period,  and  left  to  an  independence  of  action 
more  suited  for  a  man.  But  he  did  not  disappoint  his  uncle's 
confidence.  His  peculiar  method  with  the  boy  may  perhaps 
be  accounted  for  in  part  by  the  singular  temperament  of  the 
race  —  passionately  attached  to  the  idea  of  independence;  in 
part  by  the  relaxation  of  parental  restraints,  which  usually 
prevails  in  new  countries ;  and  partly  by  the  profound  sagacity 
of  the  guardian,  who  saw  at  a  glance  the  noble  nature  with 
which  he  had  to  deal.  He  showed  his  affection,  also,  by 
earnestly  seeking  for  Thomas,  as  well  as  for  his  elder  brother, 
the  best  education  he  could  place  within  their  reach.  He 
required  of  them  a  regular  attendance  upon  the  country  school 
of  the  neighborhood,  which  Thomas  was  prompt  to  render;  but 
Warren  chafed  under  its  restraints.  He  was  now  a  hardy  lad 
of  fourteen  years  old,  and,  Jackson-like,  began  to  feel  his  self- 
reliance,  and  to  find  the  bread  of  dependence  irksome.  His 
discontent  was  probably  increased  by  the  consciousness  that  his 
little  brother  was  more  the  favorite  than  himself.  He  therefore 
demanded  that  he  should  be  allowed  to  seek  his  own  fortunes, 
and  choose  his  own  home.  His  uncle,  characteristically,  gavo 
him  leave  to  please  himself;  and  he  departed,  after  a  few 
months'  residence.  But  he  also  induced  Thomas,  partly  by  his 
affection  for  him,  and  partly  by  the  assumption  of  the  authority 
of  a  senior,  to  go  with  him.  They  resorted  at  first  to  the  house 
of  Mr.  Neale,  a  maternal  uncle,  a  most  respectable  man,  living 
on  the  Ohio  river,  at  that  island  which  has  been  made  famous 
by  the  name  and  misfortunes  of  Blennerhasset,  and  the  eloquence 
of  Mr.  Wirt.  This  relative  also  received  them  with  cordial 
kindness.  But  Warren  found  that  his  love  dictated  the  same 
policy  which  the  affection  of  Cummins  Jackson  had  prompted, 


16  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

requiring  them  to  pursue  their  studies  diligently  at  school.  He 
soon  wearied  again  of  the  restraint,  and,  taking  his  little  brother, 
the  next  spring  he  went  down  the  Ohio  river,  and  disappeared 
from  the  knowledge  of  his  friends  for  a  time.  In  the  fall  of  the 
year  they  returned,  by  the  charity  of  some  steamboat-master^ 
travel-soiled,  ragged,  and  emaciated  by  the  ague.  Their  story  was 
—  that  they  had  floated  down  to  the  junction  of  the  Ohio  with  the 
Father  of  Waters,  seeking  adventures  and  a  livelihood,  until  at 
length  they  contracted  to  cut  firewood  for  the  furnaces  of  the 
steamers,  on  one  of  the  lonely  islands  of  the  Mississippi,  near  the 
southwestern  corner  of  Kentucky.  Here  the  two  children  had 
spent  the  summer  alone,  living  in  a  temporary  cabin,  earning  their 
bread  by  this  rough  labor,  amidst  the  dreary  forests  of  cotton- 
wood,  and  encircled  by  the  turbid  river ;  until  their  sufferings  from 
the  ague  compelled  them  to  seek  a  way  homewards.  How  strange 
a  world  this  for  the  fair  and  pensive  child  of  nine  summers ! 
But  such  was  the  sturdiness  of  his  nature,  that  he  seemed 
scarcely  to  feel  either  its  incongruity  or  its  hardship.  On 
their  return  to  their  native  region,  Thomas  declared  that  he 
should  go  back  permanently  to  the  protection  of  his  uncle 
Cummins  Jackson,  because  he  had  experienced  his  kindness 
and  loved  his  home.  But  Warren  seemed  still  to  feel  some 
repugnance,  and  preferred  to  seek  a  refuge  with  one  of  his 
father's  sisters,  living  near  the  old  home  of  the  family,  on  Bu 
chanan  river,  Mrs.  Isaac  Brake.  Here  he  was  kindly  received. 
The  comforts  of  Thomas's  home  soon  repaired  the  ravages  of 
the  ague  in  his  body;  but  in  Warren  the  disease  had  taken  so 
fatal  a  hold  that  it  could  not  be  exorcised;  it  passed  into  a 
phase  of  pulmonary  decline,  and  after  a  few  years  of  lingering 
sickness,  which  seemed  to  be  sanctified  to  the  production  of 
thorough  gentleness  and  piety,  it  carried  him  to  his  grave  in  his 
nineteenth  year.  None  of  the  little  family  now  remained  save 


TRUTHFULNESS.  17 

Thomas,  sheltered  under  the  stalwart  but  kindly  arms  of  Iris 
uncle,  and  the  girl  Laura,  who  received  her  nurture  from  her 
mother's  relatives  in  Wood  County.  Although  they  hence 
forth  never  occupied  the  same  home,  and  could  not  meet  very 
often,  he  always  cherished  for  this  sister  the  warmest  affection. 
The  first  pocket-money  he  ever  earned  for  himself,  he  expended 
wholly  in  buying  her  a  dress  of  silk.  It  has  been  stated  that 
Thomas  always  received  from  Cummins  Jackson  the  liberal 
treatment  of  a  son.  Thenceforward  his  opportunities  for  edu 
cation  were  just  such  as  they  would  have  been,  had  he  been  the 
heir  of  such  a  citizen.  Classical  academies  were  unknown  in 
the  country;  and  the  sons  of  the  most  respectable  persons,, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  who  were  sent  Eastward  for  an 
education,  were  content  with  the  plain  studies  of  a  country 
school.  But  the  practical  success  and  usefulness  of  many  of 
the  sons  of  the  soil,  besides  General  Jackson,  have  given  proof 
that  book-learning  is  by  no  means  the  only  instrument  of  an 
efficient  education.  He  seems  to  have  been  at  all  times  eager 
for  self-improvement.  A  worthy  man,  Mr.  Robert  P.  Ray, 
then  taught  an  English  school  at  Cummins  Jackson's  mills, 
where  Thomas,  in  company  with  the  sons  of  the  surround 
ing  landholders,  received  the  usual  plain  education  of  the 
country.  Out  of  that  school  came  several  others  who  have 
not  only  been  respectable  citizens  of  their  district,  but  have 
risen  to  influence  as  legislators  or  professional  men.  Thomas 
showed  no  quickness  of  aptitude  for  any  of  his  studies, 
except  arithmetic  ;  in  this  he  always  outstripped  his  school- 
mates,  seemingly  without  effort.  In  all  other  branches  his 
acquisitions  were  only  made  by  patient  labor.  If  he  pro 
fessed  to  be  prepared  for  a  recitation,  all  might  be  certain 
that  he  was  thoroughly  prepared;  from  the  first,  the  intense 
honesty  of  his  nature,  and  the  sober  judgment  with  which 

3 


18  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

he  preferred  the  substance  to  the  name  of  an  acquisition, 
were  singular.  Nothing  could  induce  him  to  leave  a  lesson 
behind  him  unmastered.  If  .he  had  not  been  able  to  finish 
a  previous  one  at  the  same  time  with  his  class-mates,  he 
would  continue  to  study  it  while  tliey  proceeded  to  the  next, 
and  when  called  on  for  his  share  of  the  succeeding  recitation, 
he  would  flatly  declare  that  he  knew  nothing  about  it,  that 
he  had  not  yet  had  time  to  begin  it,  and  that  all  his  time  had 
been  occupied  upon  the  other.  Thus  he  was,  not  seldom,  nom 
inally  behind  his  class ;  but  whatever  he  once  gained  was  his 
forever ;  and  his  knowledge,  though  limited,  was  perfect  as  far 
as  it  went.  His  temperament  at  this  time  was  cheerful,  amiable, 
and  generous ;  and  his  demeanor  instinctively  courteous.  His 
truthfulness  was  at  all  times  proverbial.  To  an  intimate  friend 
he  once  said,  that  so  far  as  he  remembered  he  had  never  violated 
the  exact  truth  in  his  life,  save  once.  This  instance  was  one 
which  many  would  justify,  and  most  would  palliate  j  but  he 
himself  condemned  it.  While  lieutenant  of  artillery  in  the 
Mexican  War,  his  company  were  ordered  to  proceed  by  a  nar 
row  path  through  a  dense  thicket  of  "  chapparal,"  which  was 
believed  to  be  infested  with  guerillas.  Jackson  himself  saw 
the  leaves  of  the  shrubs  riddled  with  fresh  bullet-holes;  and 
the  men  were  so  intimidated  by  the  dread  of  the  unseen  foe, 
that  when  the  head  of  the  column  approached  the  dangerous 
spot  it  recoiled,  and  in  spite  of  the  expostulations  of  the  officers, 
refused  to  advance.  At  length  the  young  lieutenant  went  alone, 
far  before  his  men,  and  waving  his  sword  shouted  to  them : 
You  see  there  is  no  danger ;  forward !  "  Yet,  as  he  confessed, 
he  knew  at  the  moment  that  he  was  in  extreme  peril.  At 
school  he  was  also  noted  for  a  strong  sense  of  justice,  which 
made  him  as  respectful  towards  the  rights  of  others  as  tenacious 
of  his  own.  As  long  as  he  was  fairly  treated  by  his  playmates, 


BODILY   APPEARANCE   AND   HEALTH.  19 

his  temper  was  perfectly  gentle  and  complying;  but  if  he 
believed  himself  wronged,  his  resistance  was  inexorable.  In 
his  occasional  combats  with  his  fellows,  while  superior  strength 
might  sometimes  overpower  him,  it  could  never  force  him  to 
acknowledge  defeat.  The  victor  might  cuff  him  until  he  desisted 
from  sheer  weariness,  but  Thomas  was  still  unsubdued,  and 
ready  to  renew  the  fight  whenever  his  antagonist  dared  to  assail 
him.  He  was  withal  never  moping  nor  surly,  hut  always  ready 
for  the  merry  romp  or  play.  He  was  not  peculiarly  swift  of 
foot,  but  he  usually  led  his  playmates  in  jumping  and  climbing. 
When  the  school  was  divided  into  two  companies  for  a  game  of 
Bat  and  ball,  or  prisoners'-base,  he  was  always  captain  of  one, 
and.his  side  was  sure  to  win. 

"In  all  Western  Virginia,  the  owners  of  land  and  their  sons 
were  accustomed  to  labor  on  their  farms  with  their  own  hands, 
more  than  any  population  of  equal  wealth  and  comfort  in 
America.  This  was  -the  consequence  partly,  of  the  industrious 
habits  which  the  Presbyterian  Scotch  and  Irish,  the  ruling  caste 
m  those  regions,  brought  from  their  native  lands ;  partly  of  the 
fcoiflparative  scarcity  of  labor,  both  slave  and  hired ;  arid  partly, 
6f  the  absence  of  the  abundant  means  of  literary  and  profes 
sional  cultivation,  which  an  older  society  offers  to  the  wealthy. 
Even  in  the  households  of  slaveholders,  like  Cummins  Jackson, 
who  in  that  country  were  few,  the  males,  when  not  at  school, 
w.<£re  regularly  occupied  in  rural  labors,  except  in  that  large 
allowance  of  time  reserved  for  country  sports.  The  reader 
will  thus  understand  that  Thomas,  although  in  no  sense  re 
duced  by  his  orphanage  to  a  condition  beneath  that  of  the 
youths  around  him,  was  occupied,  like  his  uncle,  in  the  works 
of  the  farm  and  mills.  Here  he  was  always  resolute  and 
efficient.  One  of  his  most  frequent  tasks  seems  to  have  been, 
to  transport  from  the  woods  the  huge  stems  of  the  poplars  and 


20  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

oaks,  to  be  converted  by  the  saw-mill  into  lumber.  He  became 
thus  a  famous  driver  of  oxen.  If  any  tree  was  to  be  moved 
from  ground  of  unusual  difficulty,  or  if  it  was  more  gigantic 
than  the  rest,  the  party  of  laborers  was  put  under  his  com 
mand,  and  the  work  was  sure  to  be  effected.  In  this  manner 
his  life  was  passed  from  nine  to  sixteen  years  of  age,  between 
the  labors  of  the  school  and  of  the  farm.  He  was  then,  like 
his  father,  of  short  stature,  but  compact  and  muscular.  He  was 
capable  of  fatigue,  and  of  indomitable  physical  endurance. 
His  bearing  was  unpretending,  but  manly  and  courteous.  But 
his  constitution,  even  then,  gave  signs  of  infirmity.  An  obscure 
disease  of  the  stomach  and  other  organs  of  nutrition  had  seized 
upon  him,  harassing  him  with  chronic  irritations  or  prostrations 
of  the  nerves,  sleepless  nights,  and  lassitude.  A  year  or  two 
later,  notwithstanding  the  means  used  to  re-establish  his  consti 
tution,  these  symptoms  assumed  the  more  ominous  form  of  a 
slight  paralysis.  The  latter,  however,  wore  away  after  a  time ; 
and,  about  his  second  year  at  West  Point  his  system  seemed  to 
escape  a  part  of  its  burdens;  he  grew  rapidly  to  a  tall  stature, 
and  thus,  instead  of  remaining  short,  like  his  father,  he  was 
conformed  to  the  usual  standard  of  his  race.  But  the  other 
affection  clave  to  him,  like  a  Nemesis,  during  his  whole  youth 
and  the  war  with  Mexico,  and  never  relaxed  its  hold  until  after 
he  came  to  Lexington  as  Professor  in  the  Military  Institute, 
when  he  subdued  it  by  means  of  the  waters  of  the  alum  springs 
of  Rockbridge,  in  connection  with  his  admirable  temperance. 
His  habits  of  uncomplaining  endurance,  and  his  modest  reluc 
tance  to  every  display  savoring  of  egotism,  concealed  the 
larger  part  of  these  sufferings.  It  should  be  remembered,  in 
order  that  we  may  appreciate  his  capacity  and  energy,  that  his 
arduous  studies  at  the  military  academy,  and  his  brilliant 


FIDELITY  IN   THE   OFFICE   OF   CONSTABLE.  21 

services  in  Mexico,  were  performed  by  him  while  hag-ridden 
from  time  to  time  by  this  wretched  tormentor. 

The  post  of  Constable  in  the  northern  half  of  Lewis  County 
became  about  this  time  vacant.  His  friends  procured  the 
appointment  for  him,  for  two  reasons :  one  was,  that  the  life  on 
horseback,  it  was  hoped,  might  remove  his  disease  and  give  him 
a  firm  constitution ;  the  other  was,  that  the  little  salary  of  the 
place  might  enable  him  to  realize  his  ardent  desire  for  a  liberal 
education.  So  general  was  the  favor  borne  him,  and  the  desire 
to  forward  his  aspirations  for  advancement,  that  the  Court 
winked  at  the  irregularity  of  appointing  a  minor  to  this  office, 
accepting  the  suretyship  of  his  uncle  as  a  sufficient  guarantee. 
We  now  see  the  manly  youth,  with  his  account-book  and  bag  of 
bills  and  executions,  traversing  on  horseback  the  hills  of  Lewis, 
a  county  then  so  large  that  the  major  parts  of  five  counties  have 
since  been  carved  out  of  it.  To  readers  who  are  not  Virginians, 
a  word  of  explanation  may  be  needed  concerning  the  office  of 
Constable  in  our  State.  The  Justices  of  the  Peace,  besides  the 
County  Courts  which  they  hold  jointly,  are  authorized  to  decide 
singly,  in  their  own  neighborhood,  upon  controversies  for  pro 
perty  or  money,  where  the  sum  in  dispute  does  not  exceed 
twenty  dollars.  Of  this  little  court,  the  Constable  is  the  execu 
tive  officer,  serving  its  warrants,  summoning  its  witnesses,  and 
carrying  into  effect  its  decisions.  The  Justice,  as  conservator 
of  the  peace,  may  also  issue  his  warrant  for  the  arrest  and  ex 
amination  of  any  person  suspected  of  crime,  however  grave; 
and  in  this  preliminary  stage  of  proceedings,  the  Constable  is 
his  agent.  This  officer  is  also  charged  with  the  regulating  of 
certain  misdemeanors,  and  with  the  enforcement  on  slaves  and 
free  negroes  of  the  police  regulations  peculiar  to  their  con 
dition.  He  is,  in  a  word,  a  sort  of  minor  sheriff. 

The  countrymen  of  young  Jackson  testified  that  he  filled  this 


22  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENEKAL   JACKSON. 

office  with  industry  and  fidelity.  In  everything  he  was  scrupu 
lously  exact;  his  engagements  were  uniformly  kept;  and,, the 
little  claims  intrusted  to  him  for  collection  were  always  safe. 
While  never  cruel  in  the  exercise  of  the  powers  of  his  place-, 
he  strictly  enforced  upon  others  a  punctual  compliance  with 
their  promises.  In  these  duties  his  nerve  was  sometimes  tried; 
but  he  always  carried  his  point.  One  instance  may  be  related, 
as  illustrating  his  courage  and  resource.  About  two  miles  -from 
the  little  village  of  Weston,  the  county  seat  of  Lewis,  there 
lived  a  man,  who,  under  a  garb  of  great  religiousness,  con 
cealed  an  unscrupulous  character.  Jackson  held  an  execution 
against  his  property  for  a  little  claim  of  ten  dollars,  which  the 
creditor  had  more  than  once  urged  him  to  collect.  After 
indulging  the  debtor  for  a  time,  and  advising  him  rather  to  earn 
or  borrow  the  sum  than  suffer  the  sale  of  some  article  of  his 
property,  he  exacted  from  him  a  firm  promise  that,  on  a  certain 
day,  he  would  meet  him  in  Weston,  and,  without  further  trouble, 
pay  him  the  debt..  He  then  told  the  creditor  that,  on  the  even 
ing  of  that  day,  his  money  would  be  ready  for  him.  At  the 
appointed  day,  Jackson  was  in  Weston,  but  no  debtor  appeared ; 
and  when  the  creditor  came  to  receive  his  claim,  he  redeemed 
his  punctuality  by  paying  it  out  of  his  own  purse.  He  then 
quietly  remained  in  the  village  until  the  next  morning,  when,  as 
he  expected,  the  delinquent  appeared  in  the  street  with  a  very 
good  horse.  It  seems  that  there  was,  in  their  rude  community, 
a  sort  of  lex  non  scripta,  established  by  usage,  and  more  sacredly 
observed,  perhaps,  than  many  of  the  statutes  of  the  Common 
wealth,  forbidding  that  any  person  should  be  taken  by  force,  on 
any  plea,  from  the  back  of  his  horse,  and  justifying  the  most 
extreme  resistance  to  such  a  disgrace.  Selecting  a  time,  there 
fore,  when  his  debtor  was  dismounted,  Jackson  went  up  and 
taxed  him  with  his  breach  of  promise,  reminded  him  of  his  long 


MORAL   STATE   OP   THE    COUNTRY.  23 

endurance  of  these  deceptions,  and  was  proceeding  to  seize  the 
horse  to  satisfy  his  execution.  The  other  party,  who  had  no 
idea  of  ever  paying  his  debts,  resisted,  and  a  furious  fight  began 
in  the  street.  During  the  engagement,  he  availed  himself  of  a 
momentary  advantage,  and  remounted  his  horse.  Here,  now, 
was  a  dilemma  for  the  young  representative  of  the  law.  On 
the  one  hand,  his  adversary  seemed  safely  enthroned  in  that 
position  which  the  sacred  custom  of  the  vicinage  pronounced 
unassailable.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  it  was  not  in  his  nature 
to  accept  defeat  where  his  conscience  told  him  he  was  in  the 
right.  Clinging  to  the  horse's  bridle,  he  looked  around,  and 
perceived  at  some  distance  the  low-browed  door  of  a  friend's 
stable  standing  open.  To  this  he  forced  the  horse,  amidst  a 
shower  of  unregarded  cuffs  from  his  enemy,  who  found  himself, 
by  these  ludicrous  tactics,  placed  between  the  alternatives  of 
being  struck  off  by  the  lintel  of  the  door,  or  else  sliding  from 
the  saddle  and  relinquishing  the  horse.  He  prudently  adopted 
the  latter,  and  Jackson  secured  the  prize  triumphantly  in  the 
stable,  while  yet  he  respected,  at  least  in  the  letter,  the  common 
law  of  the  neighborhood. 

But  these  occupations  proved  more  favorable  to  the  health  of 
his  body  than  of  his  character.  They  necessarily  separated 
him  much  from  home  influences,  and  brought  him  acquainted 
with  the'  worst  people  of  his  vicinage.  Nor  could  his  home 
influences  be  considered  very  auspicious.  His  aunts,  before 
this  period,  had  married,  and  the  establishment  of  his  uncle 
was  that  of  a  bachelor.  Cummins  Jackson,  though  temperate 
and  energetic,  was  himself  utterly  devoid  of  Christianity,  of  a 
violent  and  unscrupulous  character,  and  much  given  to  assume, 
in  its  ruder  phase,  the  character  of  a  sporting  gentleman.  He 
kept  race-horses,  made  up  country  race-matches,  and  employed 
his  nephew  as  his  favorite  rider,  whenever  he  expected  a  close 


24  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

contest.  It  was  the  gossip  of  all  the  country-side,  that  if  a 
horse  had  any  winning  qualities  in  him,  they  would  inevitably 
come  out  when  young  Tom  Jackson  rode  him  in  the  race. 
Moreover,  the  general  morals  of  the  community  were  loose,  and 
irregularities  too  often  found  most  countenance  from  those  of 
highest  station.  The  Christianity  of  the  region  was  not  influ 
ential;  ministers  were  few,  and  deficient  ,in  intelligence  and 
weight,  being  chiefly  the  most  uncultivated  members  of  the  Bap 
tist  communion,  or  of  the  itinerant  fraternity  of  the  Methodists. 
If  the  citizens  saw  anything  of  Episcopacy  or  Presbyterianism, 
it  was  only  from  the  transient  visits  and  sermons  of  ministers 
from  a  distance.  The  state  of  religious  opinion  was  just  what 
the  observing  man  would  expect  from  such  influences.  The 
profession  of  Christianity  was  chiefly  confined  to  the  more  igno 
rant  classes;  and  among  them  Church  discipline  and  Christian 
morals  were  relaxed.  Men  of  the  ruling  houses,  like  the  Jack- 
sons,  were  too  often  found  to  be  corrupted  by  the  power  and 
wealth,  with  which  the  teeming  fertility  of  their  new  country 
was  rewarding  their  talents.  Minds  such  as  theirs,  self-educated 
by  the  activity  and  competition  of  their  bustling  times,  were  too 
vigorous  to  acknowledge  the  intellectual  sway  of  a  class  of 
ministers  who  dispensed,  for  sermons,  their  crude  notions  of 
experimental  piety,  in  barbarous  English.  There  were  few 
cultivated  minds  to  represent  the  authority  of  the  gospel.  Con 
sequently,  most  of  the  men  of  position  were  openly  neglectful 
of  Christianity,  and  some  were  infidels. 

No  one  will  wonder,  then,  that  as  ^oung  Jackson  approached 
manhood,  his  conduct  became  somewhat  irregular.  He  was,  as 
he  himself  declared,  an  ardent  frequenter  of  races,  of  "  house- 
raisings,"  and  of  country-dances.  But  still  his  industry  re 
mained;  his  truthfulness  and  honesty  continued  untarnished; 
and  the  substantial  foundations  of  integrity  were  never  under- 


ASPIRATIONS.  25 

mined  in  his  nature.  His  irregularities  were  never  more  than 
temporary  foibles,  and  they  yielded  to  the  wholesome  influences 
of  the  first  two  years'  discipline  at  the  military  academy,  and 
to  the  encouragement  of  better  prospects  and  gratified  aspira 
tions.  During  the  first  year's  course,  the  "  demerits  "  incurred 
show  some  remains  of  his  wilder  habits;  but  even  then  his 
comrades  found  in  him  nothing  low  or  vile.  And  thencefor 
ward  he  appeared  at  home,  during  vacations,  perfectly  exem 
plary  in  his  demeanor,  and  at  the  school,  regular,  laborious, 
truthful,  scorning  everything  base;  modest,  yet  self-reliant;  and 
although  inexperienced  in  some  of  the  forms  of  society,  ever 
full  of  intrinsic  dignity  and  Courtesy. 

It  is  manifest  that  his  nature  was  intensely  ambitious  and 
aspiring.  He  thirsted  eagerly  for  knowledge,  and  for  well- 
earned  distinction.  He  knew  himself  to  be  a  depressed  scion 
of  a  noble  and  influential  stock ;  and  while  he  felt  no  morbid 
shame  at  his  poverty,  he  longed  to  reinstate  himself  in  the  fore 
most  ranks  of  the  kindred,  from  which  orphanage  and  destitu 
tion  had  thrust  him  down.  This  was  the  ruling  desire,  the 
purpose  of  his  early  manhood,  and  it  gives  us  the  key  to  many 
of  the  singularities  of  his  character;  to  his  hunger  for  self- 
improvement;  to  his  punctilious  observance,  from  a  boy,  of  the 
essentials  of  a  gentlemanly  bearing,  even  where  he  was  ignorant 
of  its  conventionalities;  to  the  uniform  assertion  of  his  self- 
respect.  The  wonder  is,  that  the  circumstances  which  sur 
rounded  him  did  not  make  him,  simply,  another  Cummins 
Jackson.  The  generous  kindness  of  this  uncle,  the  force  of  his 
example,  the  similarity  of  the  two  in  the  strength  and  ardor 
of  their  natures,  and  the  impress  of  a  will  so  energetic  and 
commanding,  would  seem  naturally  to  tend  to  that  result.  But 
the  nephew  appears  to  have  imbibed  all  the  good  traits  of  the 
uncle,  and  to  have  escaped  the  bad.  How  shall  the  formation 

4 


£6  LIFE   OP    LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

of  such  a  character,  in  such  a  state  of  society,  be  explained? 
"Was  it  not  due  to  that  noble  constitution  of  his  nature,  that 
reverence  for  the  true  and  the  right,  that  manly  courage  which 
the  Creator  impressed  upon  it,  for  his  own  ulterior  ends, 
coupled  with  the  purifying  force  of  a  Christian  mother's  teach 
ings  and  prayers  ? 

Of  this  uncle  General  Jackson  always  spoke  with  grateful 
affection ;  as  he  was  evidently  his  favorite  nephew.  Cummins 
Jackson  displayed  his  restless  love  of  adventure  by  going, 
when  he  was  forty-nine  years  old,  to  seek  gold  in  California. 
He  was  also  impelled  in  part  by  disgust  at  the  persecutions  of 
some  of  his  neighbors,  with  whom,  his  feuds  had  become  ^per 
fectly  inveterate.  His  ample  farm  and  competency  could,  not 
detain  him;  he  crossed  the  plains  with  a  well-equipped  company 
of  gold-hunters,  of  whom  he  was  recognized  as  the  chief,  .in 
1849,  and  died  the  autumn  of  that  year  in  the  wilds  of  ^the 
mining  region.  Had  he  made  a  will,  it  is  believed  that  General 
Jackson  would  have  been  a  chief  heir;  but  death  disappointed 
such  generous  purposes  if  he  had  them. ;  and  his  estate  is 
destined  to  be  divided  among  almost  a  hundred  nephews  and 
nieces. 

It  will  be  best  here  to  anticipate  so  much  as  will  be 
necessary,  to  complete  the  history  of  young  Jackson's  .offi 
cial  life  in  Lewis.  The  law  requires  the  county  court  to 
take  bond  and  security  of  every  constable  to  the  amount 
of  not  less  than  two' thousand  dollars,  for  the  faithful  trans 
action  of  all  the  business  committed  to  him.  When  a  cred 
itor  places  any  claim  in  the  hands  of  such  an  officer  for 
collection,  he  usually  exacts  a.  receipt  from  him  acknowledging 
the  trust  undertaken,  and  the  amount  and  nature  of  the  dcinaudv 
The  officer  thus  incurs  a  responsibility  from  which  he  must 
absolve  himself,  either  by  collecting  and  paying  over  to  him; the. 


THOMAS  RESIGNS   HIS   OFFICE.  27 

amount  of  the  claim,  or  by  making  every  lawful  effort  to  do  so, 
arid  showing  that  it  was  impracticable,  by  reason  either  of  the 
insolvency  or  evasion  of  the  creditor.  When  the  hope  of  an 
immediate  appointment,  as  cadet  of  the  Military  Academy,  was 
suggested,  young  Jackson's  abiding  desire  for  a  liberal  education 
forbade  his  hesitating  for  any  smaller  concerns.  He  instantly 
resigned  his  place.  It  chanced  that  this  was  a  season  of  strin 
gency  in  the  currency  of  the  region,  and  his  uncle  found  himself 
unable  at  the  time  to  raise  ready  money  for  his  outfit.  By  his 
advice,  Thomas  sold  such  claims  for  cash  as  could  be  thus 
disposed  of,  and  transferred  the  remainder  of  his  papers  and 
business  to  him  for  adjustment.  It  would  appear  that  even 
these  prompt  means  failed  to  realize  enough  for  his  expenses. 
One  can  readily  conceive  that  a  boy  of  eighteen,  with  all  his 
punctuality,  would  not  be  a  thoroughly  methodical  accountant. 
So,  when  the  settlements  with  suitors  were  made,  in  the  absence 
of  that  personal  recollection  on  which  he  largely  relied,  the 
more  greedy  succeeded  in  making  him  their  seeming  debtor  for 
more  than  he  had  left  in  his  uncle's  hands.  The  consequence 
was,  that  a  few  suits  were  brought  against  the  latter,  as  his 
security,  for  the  payment  of  sums  thus  claimed.  He,  indeed, 
probably  regarded  this  as  rather  good  luck  than  ill,  as  it  gave 
him  additional  occasion  to  exercise  his  restless  mind  in  his 
beloved  work  of  litigation ;  and  his  generosity  to  Thomas  made 
him  cheerfully  pay  the  deficit.  On  the  return  of  Thomas  from 
West  Point,  he  looked  thoroughly  into  these  transactions,  and 
demanded  a  more  accurate  settlement  of  his  accounts.  To  one 
claimant,  for  whom  he  had  collected  a  variety  of  small  sums  at 
different  times,  thus  making  a  somewhat  intricate  series  of 
transactions,  he  said  that  this  party  ought  to  be  able  to  remem 
ber  the  receipt  of  various  payments  on  account,  for  which  the 
written  evidence  was  now  lost;  and  that  when  the  recollection 


28  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

was  distinct  and  undeniable,  he  should  insist  on  having  credit. 
He  required  his  antagonist  to  go  over  the  whole  account  on 
this  plan.  When  he  sought  to  avoid  allowing  payments,  which 
Jackson  well  knew  had  been  made,  by  saying  "  he  had  no  recol 
lection  of  them, "  the  latter  would  reply,  "  Yea,  but  you  must 
recollect  them ;"  and,  by  his  firm  countenance  and  reference  to 
attendant  circumstances,  would  constrain  his  unwilling  party  to 
make  the  just  admissions.  In  this  way  he  forced  him  to  allow 
in  Court  sundry  abatements  of  his  claim.  Finally,  all  the  sums 
for  which,  as  constable,  he  was  bound  to  any  one,  were  fully 
paid  either  by  him  or  his  uncle. 


THE   CADET.  29 


CHAPTER    II. 

THE   CADET. 

In  1841,  the  Hon.  Samuel  Hays  was  elected  delegate,  from 
the  district  to  which  Lewis  County  belonged,  to  the  Congress 
of  the  United  States.  During  his  term,  the  place  of  cadet 
in  the  military  academy  at  West  Point  became  vacant.  This 
famous  school  was  founded  and  sustained  by  the  Federal  Gov 
ernment,  and  contained  as  many  pupils  as  there  were  Con 
gressional  districts.  These  were  treated  as  soldiers  in  garrison 
from  the  time  they  entered,  and  not  only  instructed  and  drilled, 
but  fed,  clothed,  and  paid  by  the  public.  The  appointments 
were  made  by  the  Secretary  of  War,  upon  the  nomination 
of  the  member  of  Congress,  representing  the  district  from 
which  the  application  came.  It  may  be  easily  comprehended 
that  his  recommendation  was  usually  potential.  As  the  scien 
tific  education  given  was  thorough,  and  nearly  the  whole 
expense  was  borne  by  the  Government,  the  place  was  much 
sought  by  the  sons  of  the  most  prominent  citizens.  Mr.  Hays, 
upon  consultation  with  judicious  friends,  had  given  the  nomina 
tion  to  a  fatherless  youth,  of  sprightly  mind  and  good  habits, 
whom  his  neighbors  desired  to  help  upward  in  the  world.  He 
had  been  appointed,  had  gone  to  West  Point,  and  upon  observ 
ing  the  condition  of  the  cadets  from  without,  had  concluded 
that  the  restraints  and  military  discipline  of  the  place  would  be 
too  irksome  for  his  tastes.  He  therefore  left  the  village  with- 


30  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

out  reporting  to  the  authorities  of  the  school,  and  returned 
home  to  resign  his  appointment.  This  occurred  in  the  summer 
of  1842.  The  self-indulgence  of  this  youth,  and  the  contrasted 
energy  and  hardihood  of  Jackson,  bore  fruits  which  may  well 
be  pondered  by  every  young  man.  The  former  was  consigned, 
by  the  rejection  of  the  providential  occasion  for  self-improve 
ment,  to  a  decent  mediocrity,  from  which  his  name  has  never 
been  sounded  by  the  voice  of  fame.  The  latter,  by  his  manly 
decision,  made  of  the  same  opportunity  "  a  tide,  which,  taken, 
at  the  flood,  led  on  to  fortune."  There  was  then  living  in  the 
village  of  Weston  a  German  smith,  one  of  those  neighborly, 
ingenious,  gossiping  men,  who  are  as  busy  in  •;  discussing 
their  neighbors'  affairs  as  in  repairing  their  implements  of 
labor.  Just  at  the  time  when  the  young  man  who  has 
been  mentioned  returned  to  the  country,  relinquishing  his 
West  Point  nomination,  it  so  chanced  that  Cummins  Jackson 
had  occasion  to  go  to  this  smith,  for  the  repair  of  some  of  the 
machinery  of  his  mill.  The  good  man  said  to  him,  informing 
him  of  the  indiscretion  of  his  'young  neighbor,  "Here  now 
is  a  chance  for  Tom  Jackson,  as  he  is  so  anxious  for  an 
education."  The  uncle  replied  that,  on  his  return  home  that 
evening,  he  would  mention  it  to  Thomas,  and  recommend  him 
to  seek  the  appointment.  When  he  did  so,  the  young  man 
caught  eagerly  at  it;  and  the  result  was  that  the  next  morning 
he  went  to  Weston,  and  applied  to  his  influential  friends  for 
their  support  in  an  application  to  the  Honorable  Mr.  Hays,  then 
in  Washington.  All  had  known  his  industry,  his  integrity,  and 
his  honorable  aspirations.  All  sympathized  warmly  with  him 
in  the  latter.  Nearly  every  prominent  person  connected  with 
the  courts  of  the  place  concurred  in  his  testimonial.  To  one 
gentleman,  a  lawyer  of  influence,  and  a  connection  of  his  family, 
he  resorted  for  a  more  confidential  letter.  This  person  asked 


JACKSON  APPLIES  FOR  CADETSHIP.  31 

him  if  he  did  not  fear  that  his  present  education  was  too  scanty 
to  enable  him  to  enter  the  military  academy,  or  to  sustain  him 
self  there.  His  countenance  sank  with  mortification  for  a 
moment,  then  raising  his  head,  lie  said,  with  a  look  of  deter 
mination,  "  I  know  that  I  shall  have  the  application  necessary 

.  toigucceed;  I  hope  that  I  have  the  capacity ;  at  least  I  am  deter- 
mined  to  try,  and  I  wish  you  to  help  me  to  do  this."  The  letter 

iwas  written,  with  a  hearty  commendation  of  his  claims  to  Mr. 
Hays,  and  a  full  description  of  his  courageous  spirit.  These 
letters  were  despatched  to  Washington ;  and,  meantime,  Thomas 
applied  himself  diligently  to  reviewing  his  studies  for  entrance 

-into  the  academy,  under  the  gratuitous  teaching  of  a  lawyer  of 
Weston,  Mr.  (afterwards  Judge)  Edmiston.  In  due  time  a  reply 
Came  from  Mr.  Hays,  promising  to  use  his  influence  in  his  favor. 
Some  one  then  suggested,  that  as  the  session  at  West  Point  had 
commenced,  and  as  it  was  always  safest  to  give  personal  atten 
tion  to  one's  own  interests,  it  might  be  best  for  him  to  go 
immediately  to  Washington,  instead  of  waiting  for  the  result  of 
the -application,  and  be  ready  to  proceed  at  once,  if  successful, 
tO-'ihis  destination.  Thomas  declared  his  preference  for  this 
course,  and  departed  without  a  day's  delay.  Borrowing  a  pair 
of  saddle-horses  and  a  servant  from  a  friend,  he  hastened  to 
Clarksburg,  to  meet  the  stage-coach  which  plied  thence  to  Win 
chester  and  Washington.  His  garments  were  homespun,  and 
his  whole  wardrobe  was  contained  in  a  pair  of  leathern  saddle 
bags.  When  he  reached  Clarksburg  the  stage  had  passed  by, 
bnt^hc  pursued  it,  and  at  its  next  stopping-place  overtook  it, 
and  proceeded  to  Washington  city.  Presenting  himself  thus 
before  the  Honorable  Mr.  Hays,  he  was  kindly  received ;  and 
his  patron  proposed  that  he  should  go  at  once,  with  the  stains 
of  hie  travel  upon  him,  to  the  office  of  the  War  Minister  to 
procure  his  appointment.  He  presented  him  to  that  minister 


32  LIFE  OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

as  a  mountain  youth,  who,  with  a  limited  education,  had  an 
honorable  desire  of  improvement.  The  Secretary  was  so  much 
pleased  with  the  directness  and  manliness  of  his  replies,  that 
he  ordered  his  warrant  to  be  made  out  on  the  spot.  When 
Mr.  Hays  proposed  to  take  him  to  his  lodgings,  for  a  few  days, 
that  he  might  see  the  sights  of  the  metropolis,  he  declined, 
saying  that  as  the  studies  of  the  academy  were  in  progress,  it 
was  best  for  him  to  be  in  his  place  there,  and  that  he  should 
be  content  with  a  general  view  from  the  top  of  the  dome  of 
the  Capitol.  Having  looked  upon  this  panorama  for  a  while 
he  descended,  and  declared  himself  ready  for  West  Point. 
Mr.  Hays  wrote  to  the  authorities  there,  asking  them,  at 
the  suggestion  of  some  friend,  to  make  the  utmost  allow 
ance  practicable  in  the  preliminary  examination  for  his  de 
fective  scholarship,  arid  in  favor  of  his  good  character.  And 
Jackson  stated  to  his  friends  that  this  indulgence  was  very 
kindly  extended  to  him,  and  that  without  it,  he  would  scarcely 
have  been  able  to  stand  the  test.  He  entered  West  Point, 
Jul}7,  184-2,  being  then  eighteen  years  old.  He  had  not  attained 
his  full  stature,  but  was  muscular  in  his  frame,  and  of  a  fresh, 
ruddy  countenance.  His  demeanor  was  somewhat  constrained, 
but,  by  reason  of  its  native  dignity,  always  pleasing.  The 
fourth-class  men  at  this  school  were  called  by  their  comrades 
plebes,  were  subjected  in  many  respects  to  restraints  peculiar  to 
their  rank,  were  made  to  perform  the  menial  duties  of  sweeping 
the  barrack-grounds,  and  such-like,  under  the  inspection  of  their 
more  advanced  fellow-students,  and  were  severely  drilled  in 
their  military  exercises.  It  was  thus  the  authorities  proposed 
to  form  a  soldierly  subordination  and  hardihood.  The  infliction 
of  practical  jokes  upon  new-comers  has  always  been  carried  to 
extremity  in  this  school.  The  professors  themselves  seemed  to 
connive  at  it  as  a  useful  discipline  of  the  temper  j  and,  by  a 


ENTERS   WEST   POINT.  33 

fixed  usage  of  the  cadets,  he  who  grew  restive  under  the  tor 
ment  only  subjected  himself  to  tenfold  sufferings.  Resistance 
was  vain.  The  third-class  man,  lately  among  the  plebes,  sought 
his  revenge  from  the  body  of  new-comers  below  him,  and  from 
victim  became  tormentor,  with  all  the  zest  and  ingenuity  of  a 
practitioner  just  graduated  in  the  art  of  teasing.  When  they 
saw  the  country  youth  arrive,  with  his  saddle-bags,  in  his  home 
spun  garments,  they  promised  themselves  rich  sport  with  himj 
but  they  speedily  learned  their  mistake.  Such  was  his  courage, 
his  good  temper,  and  the  shrewdness  and  savoir-faire,  acquired 
during  his  diversified  life  in  the  country,  that  they  were  quickly 
glad  to  leave  him  for  more  easy  subjects. 

It  would  be  obviously  unfair  to  judge  his  capacity  by  his 
earlier  acquisitions  at  West  Point.  His  literary  preparation 
was  defective.  Although  his  rural  occupations  had  given  a 
valuable  cultivation  of  his  powers,  he  lacked  the  facility  of 
taking  in  knowledge,  which  arises  from  practice ;  nor  was  his 
apprehension  naturally  quick.  He  once  stated  to  a  friend  that 
he  "  studied  very  hard  for  what  he  got  at  West  Point."  The 
acquisition  of  knowledge  with  him  was  slow,  but  what  he  once 
comprehended  he  never  lost.  Entering,  with  such  preparation, 
a  large  and  distinguished  class,  he  held  at  first  a  low  grade. 
Generals  M'Clellan,  Foster,  Reno,  Stoneman,  Couch,  and 
Gibbon,  of  the  Federal  army ;  and  Generals  A.  P.  Hill,  Pickett 
Maury,  D.  R.  Jones,  W.  D.  Smith,  and  Wilcox,  of  the  Confede 
rate  army,  were  among  his  class-mates.  From  the  first,  he 
labored  hard.  The  same  thoroughness  and  honesty  which  had 
appeared  in  the  schoolboy,  were  now  more  clearly  manifested. 
If  he  could  not  master  the  portion  of  the  text-book  assigned  for 
the  day,  he  would  not  pass  over  it  to  the  next  lesson,  but  con 
tinued  to  work  upon  it  until  it  was  understood.  Thus  it  hap 
pened  that,  not  seldom,  when  called  to  the  black-board,  he 


34  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

would  reply  that  he  had  not  yet  reached  the  lesson  of  the  day, 
but  was  employed  upon  the  previous  one.  There  was  then  no 
alternative  but  to  mark  him  as  unprepared.  A  distinguished 
student  of  the  class  next  above  him,  now  Major-General  Whit 
ing,  rendered  him  valuable  private  aid,  while  all  applauded  his 
sturdy  effort.  But  at  the  examinations  which  closed  his  first 
half-year's  novitiate,  the  line  which  separated  the  incompetents, 
and  condemned  them  to  an  immediate  discharge,  was  drawn  a 
very  little  below  him.  Nowise  disheartened  by  this,  but  thank 
ful  that  he  had  saved  his  distance,  he  redoubled  his  exertions. 
At  the  end  of  his  first  year,  in  a  class  of  seventy-two,  he  stood 
45th  in  mathematics,  70th  in  French,  had  15  demerit  marks  for 
misconduct,  and  was  fifty-first  in  general  merit.  In  the  next 
class,  the  studies  were  more  extended  and  abstruse ;  but  the 
examination  at  the  end  of  his  second  year  showed  him  18th  in 
mathematics,  52d  in  French,  68th  in  drawing,  and  55th  in 
engineering  studies ;  while  he  had  incurred  26  demerits,  and 
ranked  30th  in  general  merit. 

In  the  second  class,  he  proceeded  from  pure  mathematics  to 
chemistry  and  natural  philosophy.  His  course  was  still  more 
decidedly  improved,  and  placed  him  at  the  end  of  the  year  in 
natural  philosophy,  llth;  in  chemistry,  25th;  in  drawing,  59th; 
with  no  demerit  for  the  year,  and  in  general  merit,  20th.  In 
the  studies  of  the  final  year,  he  was  12th  in  engineering,  5th  in 
ethics,  llth  in  artillery,  21st  in  infantry-tactics,  and  llth  in 
mineralogy  and  geology.  His  demerit  marks  were  seven,  but, 
as  he  assured  his  friends,  he  might  have  wholly  escaped  these 
by  laying  the  delinquencies. charged  to  him  upon  comrades  to 
whom  they  rightly  belonged.  He  preferred  to  bear  the  unde 
served  blame,  rather  than  break  silence  against  them.  His 
general  standing  as  a  graduate  was  17th,  notwithstanding  the 
less  successful  years  at  the  beginning,  which  were  taken  into 


PROGRESS   IN   STUDY.  35 

the  account.  An  examination  of  these  records  will  show  a 
steady  progress ;  and,  if  the  deficient  preparation  of  his  begin 
ning  be  considered,  there  is  evidence  of  a  scholastic  ability  and 
acquirement  very  little  below  the  highest.  But  scholastic 
ability  is  not  the  real  test  of  a  great  mind.  It  also  appears 
that  he  was  usually  least  successful  in  a  study  when  it  was 
novel.  In  the  science  of  military  engineering,  for  instance,  his 
first  year's  study  placed  him  only  55th,  but  his  last  year  12th. 
He  seems  never  to  have  become  an  adept  in  drawing;  indeed 
nature  had  not  gifted  him  with  much  of  that  manual  dexterity, 
which  is  here  more  essential  than  even  taste  and  correctness  of 
eye.  His  greatest  success  was  in  ethics,  where  his  grade  was 
5th  —  a  correct  prognostic  of  that  transcendent  ability  in  states 
manship  and  moral  reasoning,  which  every  great  commander 
must  possess.  His  teachers  and  comrades  judged  his  mind 
sound  and  strong,  but  not  quick.  It  was  a  frequent  remark 
among  the  latter,  that  if  the  course  were  two  years  longer  than 
it  was,  Jackson  would  assuredly  graduate  at  the  head  of  his 
class. 

His  manners,  when  he  appeared  at  West  Point,  have 
been  already  described.  When  he  returned  upon  furlough 
to  his  friends,  they  noted  a  great  and  progressive  change 
in  his  person.  The  second  year  he  grew,  as  it  were  by 
a  leap,  to  the  height  of  six  feet.  His  bearing,  though  still 
deficient  in  ease,  was  punctiliously  courteous  and  dignified. 
He  was  scrupulously  neat  in  all  his  appointments,  and,  in 
his  handsome  cadet  uniform,  made  a  most  soldierly  appear 
ance.  At  the  military  academy  he  was  not  morose,  but  re 
served  almost  to  shyness;  fond  of  animated  conversation 
and  of  the  collision  of  intellect,  when  alone  with  one  or  two 
of  his  few  intimates,  but  in  a  larger  circle,  a  silent  interested 
listener.  The  society  there  was  usually  stratified  very  distinctly,, 


36  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

according  to  the  classes.  The  fourth-class  men,  under  the  hum 
ble  title  of  plebes,  were  the  fags  of  all  above  them.  At  each 
stage  of  his  advancement  the  cadet  gained  new  privileges, 
which  made  him  look  down,  like  a  superior  mortal,  on  the 
younger.  Hence  the  intimacies  of  the  students  were  confined 
to  their  own  classes,  save  where  some  more  aspiring  youth,  by 
reason  of  distinguished  scholarship  or  social  advantages,  sought 
the  society  of  those  above  him.  But  Jackson,  in  selecting  his 
few  friends,  disregarded  all  these  bonds  of  caste,  and  most 
frequently  chose  them  from  the  classes  below  him.  His  favorite 
recreation  was  walking;  and  almost  every  afternoon  he  might 
be  seen,  with  a  single  companion,  striding  rapidly  over  the 
picturesque  hills,  or  sitting  upon  one  of  the  headlands  which 
overhang  the  waters  of  the  Hudson.  In  these  confidential 
walks,  his  favorite  topics  were  the  graver  subjects  of  moral 
reasoning,  mental  science,  ethics,  politics.  He  had  enjoyed  no 
collegiate  training  in  these  studies,  the  instruction  in  them  at 
the  military  academy  was  limited,  and  his  favorite  associate  in 
these  discussions  was  a  graduate  of  one  of  the  Colleges  which 
made  this  branch  of  science  prominent.  Yet,  although  his 
knowledge  of  the  speculations  of  metaphysicians  was  limited, 
his  friend  found  his  notions  always  original,  and  usually  correct, 
and  his  reasonings  so  ingenious  and  forcible,  that  he  was  never 
an  easy  antagonist  to  overcome.  One  of  the  most  pleasing  and 
noteworthy  traits  of  his  nature  was  his  tenderness  to  the  dis 
tressed.  A  case  of  sickness  or  bereavement,  among  the  younger 
cadets  especially,  awakened  all  his  sympathies ;  and  he  would 
devote  himself  to  their  help  with  a  zeal  so  womanly,  as  to  evoke 
the  gibes  of  coarser  natures.  Perhaps,  his  profound  impressions 
of  the  infirmity  of  his  own  frame  quickened  these  sensibilities. 
He  seemed  to  be  under  a  habitual  fear  of  some  chronic  and 
fatal  disease,  and  began  even  then  that  rigid  observance  of  such 


MORAL  RULES  OF  CONDUCT.  37 

laws  of  health  as  he  apprehended  to  be  suitable  to  him.  One 
of  these  rules  was,  never  to  bend  his  body  in  studying,  lest  the 
compression  of  some  of  the  important  organs  within  should 
increase  their  tendency  to  disease.  Hence  he  sat  always 
bolt  upright;  his  chair  might  as  well  have  been  without  a 
back. 

It  does  not  appear  that  Jackson  was  under  the  influence  of 
vital  Christianity  at  West  Point.  Speculatively,  he  was  a 
believer;  outwardly,  he  was  observant  of  the  decencies  of 
religion,  and  his  morals  were  pure ;  but  the  sacred  impression 
of  his  mother's  piety  and  teachings  was  as  yet  dormant.  The 
most  authentic  disclosure  of  his  moral  nature  at  that  time  is  a 
code  of  behavior  which  he  compiled  for  himself,  and  carefully 
engrossed  in  a  blank  book  (in  a  large,  correct,  formal  hand 
writing,  that  surprisingly  contrasts  with  the  indistinct,  cursive 
style  of  later  years)  under  the  title  of  "  Maxims.''  These  seem 
to  have  been  in  part  selected  from  books  of  that  character,  and 
in  part  adopted  from  his  own  experience.  They  relate  to 
'morals,  manners,  dress,  the  choice  of  friends,  and  the  aims  of 
life.  The  standard  of  principle  is  simply  that  of  a  high  secular 
virtue,  with  such  reference  to  religious  responsibilities  as  every 
thoughtful  and  reverent  nature  prompts.  But  they  show  already 
that  devotion  to  the  sentiment  of  duty  which  his  after-life  mani 
fested  so  grandly ;  and  they  reveal  the  loftiest  aims.  It  is  plain 
that  he  habitually  nourished  the  honorable  ambition  to  make 
himself  the  very  greatest  of  which  his  nature  was  capable*;  and 
that  the  limits  which  he  assigned  to  this  possibility  were  far 
removed.  Beneath  his  modest  reserve  and  silence,  so  contrasted 
with  all  the  tricks  of  egotism,  there  burned  the  steady  but 
intense  purpose,  to  place  his  character  and  his  name  high  upon 
the  scale  of  true  merit.  Perhaps  the  most  'characteristic  of 


38  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

these  maxims  is  the  following,  written  in  a  conspicuous  place:— 

"  YOU  MAY  BE  WHATEVER  YOU  RESOLVE  TO  BE." 

We  shall  see  that  this  was,  to  him,  a  most  practical  dogma. 

His  temper  was  recognized  at  West  Point  to  be  inflexible, 
without  being  petulant  or  aggressive.  The  only  personal  diffi 
culty  which  he  ever  had  with  a  fellow-student  illustrates  this 
trait;  and  the  contrasted  destiny  of  the  two  antagonists  may 
well  impress  on  every  young  man,  the  dreadfulness  of  base  and 
relaxed  principles,  and  the  value  of  integrity.  The  cadet  who 
was  Jackson's  sole  enemy,  resembled  him  in  capacity  and  the 
conditions  of  his  career.  He  was  an  orphan,  from  the  far 
West,  of  rural  training,  of  sound  mind,  and  energetic  and  forci 
ble  character,  capable  of  strenuous  exertion,  poor,  and  eager  to 
advance  himself.  His  early  education  had  been  neglected. 
Like  Jackson  he  incurred  the  sportive  malice  of  the  students 
on  his  arrival  at  the  Academy,  by  his  appearance  of  rusticity 
and  inexperience,  and  lie  defended  himself  with  so  much  cour 
age  and  good  sense,  and  made  such  progress  in  his  studies  that 
all  were  at  first  inclined  in  his  favor.  There  appeared  no 
reason  why  he  and  Jackson  might  not  run  parallel  courses  of 
honor  and  usefulness.  But,,  in  his  second  year,  he  disclosed  a 
laxity  of  principle,  told  less  than  the  truth  in  order  to  evade 
"  demerits,"  and  contracted  degrading  associations  in  the  neigh 
boring  village.  Jackson  was  one  of  the  first  to  perceive  his 
lack  o*f  principle.  One  day  his  musket,  which  was  always 
scrupulously  clean,  was  replaced  by  one  in  most  slovenly  order. 
He  called  the  attention  of  his  captain  (himself  a  senior  cadet) 
to  this  loss,  and  described  to  him  his  private  mark  by  which  he 
identified  his  gun.  That  evening  at  the  inspection  of  arms,  it 
was  found  in  the  'hands  of  the  student  who  has  been  described, 
and  when  taxed  with  purloining  it,  the  latter  endeavored  to 


GRADUATION.  39 

shield  himself  by  falsehood.  Jackson  had  been  indignant  that 
he  should  commit  such  an  act  from  mere  indolence,  but  now  his 
anger  was  unbounded.  He  declared  that  such  a  nuisance 
should  not  continue  a  member  of  the  Academy,  and  demanded 
that  he  should  bo  tried  by  a  court-martial,  upon  his  information, 
and  expelled.  It  was  only  by  means  of  the  most  persevering 
remonstrances  of  his  comrades,  and  of  the  professors,  that  he 
could  be  induced  to  waive  his  right  of  pursuing  the  charge. 
The  event  proved  that  his  estimate  was  more  correct  than  that 
of  his  seniors.  It  was  not  long  before  his  opponent  was  under 
arrest  for  disgraceful  conduct,  violated  his  parole,  and  was 
expelled  on  that  account,  a  short  time  before  he  would  have 
graduated.  He  resorted  to  the  new  State  of  Texas,  and 
professed  for  a  time  to  engage  in  the  study  of  law.  Not 
prospering  in  this,  he  embarked  for  California,  endeavored  to 
Bwindle  the  master  of  the  ship  out  of  his  fare,  and  was  sum 
marily  thrust  ashore  at  Mazatlan,  on  the  western  coast  of 
Mexico,  without  money  or  friends.  There  he  wandered  into 
the  mountains,  and  attached  himself  to  a  roving  tribe  of  the 
Tuscon  Indians,  among  whom  his  skill  in  savage  warfare,  rob 
bery,  and  murder,  raised  him  to  a  sort  of  chieftainship,  and  the 
possession  of  half-a-dozen  tawny  wives.  The  last  intelligence 
which  reached  the  civilized  world  concerning  him  was,  that  he 
and  his  subjects  had  quarrelled  concerning  the  murder  of  a 
poor  pedlar,  whom  he  had  slain  for  his  wares;  and  his  miser 
able  band,  less  savage  than  himself,  had  expelled  him  from  their 
society.  Jackson,  meantime,  has  filled  two  hemispheres  with 
his  fame  for  every  quality  which  is  great  and  good. 

The  latter  graduated  at  West  Point,  June  30th,  1846,  being 
then  twenty-two  years  old;  and,  according  to  custom,  received 
the  brevet  rank  of  second  lieutenant  of  artillery.  The  Mexican 
War  was  then  in  progress,  and  General  Winfield  Scott  was 


40  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

proceeding  to  take  supreme  command.  The  young  lieutenant 
was  ordered  to  report  immediately  for  duty  with  the  1st  Regi 
ment  of  Artillery ;  and  proceeded  through  Pennsylvania,  down 
the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers  to  New  Orleans,  which  was 
the  rendezvous  of  the  forces  designed  to  reinforce  the  army  in 
Mexico, 


IN  MEXICO. 


CHAPTER    III. 

IN   MEXICO. 

THE  war  of  the  United  States  against  Mexico,  beginning  with 
the  battles  of  Palo  Alto  and  Resaca  de  la  Pal  ma  in  Western 
Texas,  had  rolled  its  waves,  under  General  Zachary  Taylor,  up 
the  Rio  Grande,  and  into  the  province  of  New  Leon.  Monterey 
was  occupied  after  a  sanguinary  victory,  and  the  advanced 
forces  had  proceeded  as  far  as  Saltillo.  But  it  was  apparent, 
at  the  end  of  1846,  that  successes  on  this  line  of  operations 
would  never  bring  peace,  because  it  could  only  lead  the  arms 
of  the  United  States  aside  from  the  heart  of  their  enemy's 
strength.  To  reach  the  capital,  a  circuitous  inland  march 
would  have  been  necessary;  while  the  overpowering  navy  of 
the  Union,  if  once  Vera  Cruz  were  occupied,  would  enable 
them  to  base  upon  the  sea-coast  a  direct  and  short  line  of 
advance,  by  the  great  National  Road.  General  Winfield  Scott, 
who  had  been  sent  out  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  whole 
forces,  was  therefore  allowed  to  carry  out  his  plan  for  organiz 
ing  a  powerful  land  and  naval  force  against  Vera  Cruz,  early 
in  the  year  1847.  Most  of  the  regular  regiments  were  with 
drawn  from  the  command  of  General  Taylor,  and  concentrated, 
during  the  month  of  February,  at  the  seaport  of  Tampico, 
about  two  hundred  and  thirty  miles  north  of  Vera  Cruz,  "where 
General  Scott  was  also  assembling  his  reinforcements.  Young 
Jackson's  company  of  heavy  artillery  formed  a  part  of  the 


42  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.  GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

latter.  On  the  24th  of  February,  the  commanding  general 
commenced  the  assembling  of  his  forces  at  Lobos  Island,  a  con 
venient  intermediate  point,  offering  a  roadstead  for  his  numerous 
ships  unmolested  by  his  enemies,  a  little  north  of  Yera  Cruz. 
On  the  9th  of  March,  13,500  land  forces  were  disembarked  in 
one  day  from  the  fleet,  upon  the  open  beach  near  the  city,  with 
out  a  single  casualty.  Young  Jackson  often  referred  to  this  as 
a  spectacle  more  grand  and  animating  than  man  is  often  per 
mitted  to  witness.  The  brilliant  array  proceeded  to  the  land 
under  a  cloudless  sky,  and  in  perfect  order,  in  the  innumerable 
boats  of  the  squadron,  with  colors  displayed,  martial  music, 
and  the  enthusiastic  shouts  of  the  soldiers,  and  by  sunset  the 
whole  force  was  paraded  on  shore,  in  order  of  battle.  The 
garrison  of  about  four  thousand  partially  organized  troops  were 
in  no  condition  to  obstruct  their  advance.  On  March  13th,  the 
city  was  formally  invested,  and  on  the  29th  it  capitulated,  with 
all  the  garrison,  after  a  heavy  bombardment.  In  this  service 
Jackson,  who  had  on  March  3d  received  the  commission  of 
second-lieutenant,  bore  his  part,  but  no  occasion  for  special 
distinction  occurred.  Meantime  President  Santa  Anna,  whose 
activity  and  genius  deserved  greater  success  than  he  was  fated 
to  achieve,  assembled  a  force  of  about  twenty  thousand  men  in 
the  province  of  San  Luis  Potosi,  between  the  three  points  of 
Saltillo,  Yera  Cruz,  and  the  capital,  proposing  from  this  central 
position  to  strike  his  assailants  in  succession.  His  first  attack 
was  upon  General  Taylor,  who  had  been  left  at  the  first  place 
of  the  three,  with  a  little  more  than  five  thousand  men,  of  whom 
nearly  all  were  volunteers  levied  since  the  beginning  of  the 
war.  The  result  was  the  battle  of  Buena  Yista,  in  which,  on 
the  23d  of  February,  that  small  force  inflicted  a  bloody  repulse 
upon  the  Mexicans. 

Santa  Anna,  having  failed  in  this  well-conceived   attempt, 


JACKSOX  ENTERS  MAGRUDER'S  BATTERY.         43 

reorganized  and  recruited  bis  forces,  to  resist  the  advance  of 
the  Americans  (now  masters  of  Yera  Cruz)  on  the  capital. 
General  Scott  having  set  out  for  the  interior  on  April  12th,  he 
prepared  himself  for  battle  on  the  strong  position  of  Cerro 
Gordo,  a  few  miles  east  of  Jalapa,  crowning  a  line  of  precipi 
tous  hills  with  barricades  and  field-works  ranging  along,  and 
commanding  the  great  highway.  After  a  reconnoissance  effected 
by  Captain  Robert  E.  Lee  of  the  Engineers  (in  which  Lieut.- 
Col.  Joseph  E.  Johnston  of  the  cavalry  received  a  severe 
wound),  General  Scott  determined  to  adopt  a  plan  of  assault 
suggested  by  the  former  officer.  This  was  to  threaten  the 
whole  front  of  the  enemy,  but  to  direct  the  main  attack  against 
a  hill  at  the  western  extremity  of  his  position ;  because  this 
post,  if  once  seized  by  the  Americans,  commanded  the  only  line 
of  retreat  for  the  discomfited  Mexicans,  as  completely  as,  they 
supposed,  their  position  commanded  the  great  road.  This  vital 
attack  was  confided  to  the  veteran  division  of  Twiggs,  power 
fully  supported  by  artillery,  the  whole  being  brought  in  front  of 
the  place  to  be  assailed  by  an  exceedingly  rough  and  circuitous 
route,  planned  by  Lee.  The  attack  was  made  April  18th,  and 
was  completely  successful.  The  Mexican  army  almost  ceased 
to  exist.  It  lost  all  its  ordnance  and  several  thousand  prison 
ers;  and  the  victory  opened  to  Scott  the  town  of  Jalapa,  the 
powerful  fortress  of  Pcrote,  and  the  city  of  La  Puebla,  within 
eighty-five  miles  of  the  capital. 

It  was  in  this  assault  that  Captain  John  Bankhead  Magruder, 
commanding  a  light  field-battery,  won  brilliant  distinction.  But 
in  such  operations  heavy  artillery  could  only  play  a  secondary 
part.  The  place  of  second-lieutenant  in  Magruder's  battery 
was  then  to  be  filled,  and  most  young  officers  shrank  from  it, 
because  the  commander  was  considered  as  an  exacting  discipli 
narian,  and  the  service  of  that  arm  was  full  of  hardship  and 


44  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

exposure  to  danger.  But  the  latter  reason  was  the  very  one 
which  commended  it  to  Jackson.  He  applied  for,  and  quickly 
obtained,  a  transfer  to  it;  and  this  change  marks  the  beginning 
of  his  career  of  distinction.  The  old  artillery,  cumbersome  in 
moving  and  slow  iii  working,  was  usually  posted  at  some  per 
manent  point,  and  must  needs  remain  there  for  the  day.  If  the 
tide  of  battle  flowed  towards  it,  it  might  render  important 
service ;  if  away  from  it,  it  was  condemned  to  inactivity,  and  a 
partial  disaster  could  compel  its  surrender.  But  the  rapid 
manoeuvring  of  the  light  artillery  in  action  was  then  a  new 
feature  in  American  warfare.  Its  brilliant  results  at  Palo  Alto, 
at  Resaca  de  la  Palma,  at  Bucna  Vista,  had  delighted  General 
Taylor,  and  electrified  the  country.  Jackson  foresaw  that  this 
arm  of  warfare  was  henceforth  destined  to  be  used  in  every 
battle,  and  to  be  always  thrust  forward  to  the  post  of  danger 
and  of  honor.  To  a  soul  thirsting,  like  his,  for  distinction,  this 
was  motive  enough  for  preferring  it.  And  he  said  that,  deter 
mined  as  he  was  to  do  his  whole  duty,  and  to  consecrate  himself 
wholly  to  his  functions  as  a  soldier,  he  had  no  fears  of  being 
unable  to  satisfy  the  rigidity  of  its  captain.  In  this  he  was  not 
disappointed;  he  speedily  became  one  of  his  favorite  officers. 

General  Scott,  after  remaining  at  La  Puebla  to  rearrange 
and  recruit  his  force,  moved  upon  the  city  of  Mexico  with  about 
eleven  thousand  men,  August  7,  1847.  President  Santa  Anna, 
meantime,  had  collected  another  powerful  army,  with  abundant 
munitions  of  war,  and  had  created  every  practicable  obstacle  to 
the  approach  of  the  city  by  the  direct  road.  When  the  invader 
reached  the  mountain  ridge  of  El  Pefion,  which  assists  to 
enclose  the  great  basin  in  the  centre  of  which  the  city  stands, 
he  found  it  so  well  fortified,  that  it  was  manifest  the  attempt  to 
force  his  way  through  its  defiles,  would  cost  him  a  large  part  of 
his  army.  Here  the  ingenuity  of  his  engineers  again  came  to 


COMBAT   AT   CONTRERAS.  45 

his  aid.  They  showed  him  that  by  turning  to  the  left,  a  way 
might  be  opened;  practicable  for  artillery,  by  virtue  of  toil  and 
hardihood,  across  a  country  scored  with  rugged  volcanic  ravines, 
to  the  southwest  side  of  the  city.  This  rendered  the  laborious 
defences  of  the  Mexicans  useless.  By  August  19,  this  arduous 
inarch  was  effected,  and  the  head-quarters  of  the  army  were 
advanced  to  the  village  of  San  Augustin,  about  eight  miles  to  the 
southwest  of  the  city.  No  serious  opposition  was  encountered, 
because  the  Mexican  generals  had  supposed  that  the  impractica 
ble  ground  would  be  a  sufficient  defence  of  their  flank. 

But  Santa  Anna  hastened  to  repair  his  omission,  and  again 
placed  himself  between  the  Americans  and  his  capital,  in  a  line 
of  defences,  which,  if  less  elaborate  than  those  in  its  front,  was 
still  formidable.  Before  San  Augustin  was  the  village  of  San 
Antonio,  which  he  entrenched  and  occupied ;  at  a  considerable 
distance  to  the  west  of  it  he  crowned  an  insulated  hill  at  Con 
treras,  with  a  strong  detachment  of  infantry  and  artillery,  and, 
in  the  rear  of  this  post,  he  placed  his  heaviest  force  at  the  little 
village  of  Cherubusco,  which  he  had  also  strengthened  with 
field-works.  A  force  at  least  three  times  as  large  as  the  Amer 
ican,  with  a  hundred  cannon,  thus  awaited  their  attack  in 
position  of  their  own  selecting.  But  Santa  Anna  had  com 
mitted  the  fatal  blunder  of  choosing  the  two  points  which  were 
the  keys  of  his  whole  front,  San  Antonio  and  Contreras,  so  far 
apart,  that  they  could  not  efficiently  support  each  other.  After 
heavy  skirmishing  on  the  19th  of  August,  General  Scott  turned 
the  hill  of  Contreras  by  a  night  march,  and  at  dawn,  on  the 
20th,  assailed  it  from  the  rear,  either  capturing  or  dispersing  its 
five  thousand  defenders  in  a  combat  of  a  few  minutes'  duration, 
and  seizing  all  their  cannon.  The  Mexican  force  at  San  An 
tonio  now  found  their  communications  violently  threatened,  and 
could  only  save  themselves  by  a  hasty  retreat  upon  Cheru- 


46  L1*'E   O*1   LIEUT.- GENERAL  JACKSON. 

busco,  pressed  by  an  active  enemy.  He  advanced  immediately 
to  the  attack  of  this  last  position ;  and  as  may  be  easily  imag 
ined,  found  its  defenders  assembled  there  in  so  confused  a 
manner,  as  to  be  ill  prepared  for  a  firm  resistance.  After 
a  sanguinary  conflict  of  several  hours,  the  village  and  entrench 
ments  were  carried,  and  the  enemy  retired  nearer  the  city.  To 
Magruder's  battery  was  assigned  an  important  post  in  front  of 
the  enemy's  works,  at  the  distance  of  nine  hundred  yards.  Be 
fore  long,  his  first  lieutenant,  Mr.  Johnstone,  was  killed,  and 
Jackson  thus  became  next  in  command  to  the  captain,  and  took 
charge  of  a  section,  or  half  of  the  battery  ;  which  he  so  handled, 
as  to  win  from  Magruder,  the  following  commendation  in  his 
report :  —  "  In  a  few  moments,  Lieutenant  Jackson,  commanding 
the  second  section  of  the  battery,  who  had  opened  fire  upon  the 
enemy's  works  from  a  position  on  the  right,  hearing  our  fire 
still  further  in  front,  advanced  in  handsome  style,  and  being 
assigned  by  me  to  the  post  so  gallantly  filled  by  Lieutenant 
Johnstone,  kept  up  the  fire  with  great  briskness  and  effect. 
His  conduct  was  equally  conspicuous  during  the  whole  da}',  and 
I  cannot  too  highly  commend  him  to  the  Major-General's  favor 
able  consideration." 

In  reward  for  his  gallantry  this  day,  he  was  honored  with  the 
brevet  rank  of  captain  of  artillery ;  and  his  actual  rank  in  the 
company  was  henceforth  that  of  first  lieutenant.  On  the  8th 
of  September,  a  fierce  combat  was  fought  at  a  point  still  nearer 
the  city,  called  Molino  del  Rey,  in  which  the  Americans  were 
again  victorious.  In  this  affair,  Jackson  had  no  other  part  than 
to  protect  the  flank  of  the  force  engaged,  from  the  insults  of 
the  Mexican  cavalry,  which  he  accomplished  by  a  few  well- 
directed  shots. 

One  more  obstacle  remained  between  the  victors  and 
their  prize;  but-  this  was  the  most  formidable  of  all.  The 


JACKSON   AT   CHAPULTEPEC.  47 

Castle  of  Chapultepec,  at  first  perhaps  a  monastery,  was  built 
upon  an  insulated  and  lofty  hill  overlooking  the  plain  which 
extended  up  to  the  gates  of  the  city,  and  commanding  both  the 
causeways  by  which  the  Americans  aimed  to  approach  them. 
The  level  country  about  the  base  of  the  mount  was  covered  in 
part  with  corn,  and  in  part  with  groves,  and  intersected  with 
deep  ditches,  formed  by  the  farmers  for  drainage  and  irrigation, 
impassable  for  artillery,  and  nearly  so  for  infantry.  As  a  previ 
ous  examination  of  these  was  made  impossible  by  swarms  of 
sharpshooters,  they  only  disclosed  themselves  to  the  advancing 
columns,  when  they  arrived  upon  their  brinks,  shrouded  as  they 
were  by  the  luxuriant  grain,  or  by  hedges  of  the  thorny  cactus. 
The  castle  was  manned  with  a  garrison,  and  around  its  base  the 
remains  of  the  Mexican  army  was  posted  in  entrenchments, 
with  batteries  of  cannon  prepared  to  sweep  every  road  which 
approached.  The  Americans,  cut  off  at  the  time  from  their  dis 
tant  ships,  found  that  the  urgent  want  of  supplies,  which  the 
city  alone  could  furnish  them  by  its  surrender,  compelled  them 
to  seek  the  reduction  of  this  fort  by  some  more  speedy  means 
than  a  regular  siege'.  It  was  determined  to  storm  it  by  several 
detachments,  directed  against  its  different  sides,  on  the  morning 
of  September  13th.  Major- General  Pillow,  to  whom  Magru- 
der's  battery  wns  assigned,  was  directed  to  attack  its  west  side, 
while  Worth,  the  most  skilful  of  Scott's  lieutenants,  was  to 
march  by  a  circuit  beyond  Pillow,,  and  assail  the  north.  Ma- 
gruder  was  ordered  by  his  general  to  divide  his  battery,  and( 
send  one  section  forward,  under  Jackson,  towards  the  northwest 
angle,  while  he  assailed  another  part.  Two  regiments  of  in 
fantry,  under  Colonel  Tronsdale,  accompanied  the  former 
section.  The  columns  of  attack  advanced  to  the  charge ;  the 
artillery,  at  every  practicable  point,  striving  to  aid  their  approach 
by  pouring  a  storm  of  shot  upon  the  Mexican  batteries.  When 


48  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.- GENERAL   JACKSON. 

tlie  detachment,  which  Magruder  supported  with  the  section 
under  his  immediate  command,  had  advanced  so  near  the  enemy 
that  his  fire  was  dangerous  to  his  own  friends,  he  proceeded  to 
the  front  to  join  Jackson.  The  latter  had  been  pushed  forward 
by  Colonel  Tronsdale,  under  whose  immediate  orders  the  plan 
of  the  battle  placed  him,  until  he  found  himself  unexpectedly 
in  the  presence  of  a  strong  battery  of  the  enemy,  at  so  short  a 
range,  that,  in  a  few  moments,  the  larger  portion  of  his  horses 
was  killed,  and  his  men  either  struck  down,  or  driven  from 
their  guns  by  a  storm  of  grape-shot;  while  about  seventy  of  the 
infantry  were  holding  a  precarious  tenure  of  their  ground  in  his 
rear.  Worth  was  just  completing  his  detour,  and  bringing  his 
veterans  into  connection  with  this  party,  when  perceiving  the 
desperate  position  of  Jackson's  guns,  he  sent  him  word  to 
retire.  He  replied  that  it  was  now  more  dangerous  to  with 
draw  his  pieces  than  to  hold  his  position ;  and  that  if  they 
would  send  him  fifty  veterans,  he  would  rather  attempt  the  cap 
ture  of  the  battery  which  had  so  crippled  his.  Magruder  then 
dashed  forward,  losing  his  horse  'by  a  fatal  shot  as  he 
approached  him,  and  found  that  he  had  lifted  a  single  gun 
across  a  deep  ditch  by  hand  to  a  position  where  it  could  be 
served  with  effect;  and  this  he  was  rapidly  loading  and  firing, 
with  the  sole  assistance  of  a  sergeant;  while  the  remainder  of 
his  men  were  cither  killed,  wounded,  or  crouching  in  the  ditch. 
Another  piece  was  speedily  brought  over,  and  in  a  few  moments, 
the  enemy  was  driven  from  his  battery  by  the  rapid  and  uner 
ring  fire  of  Jackson  and  Magruder. 

By  this  time  the  storming  parties  had  pierced  the  castle  on 
two  sides,  and  the  Mexicans  were  in  full  retreat  upon  the  city. 
Orders  had  been  given  to  the  artillery  that  when  this  juncture 
arrived,  they  must  pursue  rapidly  and  scatter  the  disordered 
columns  of  the  retreating  foe.  The  horses  of  Jackson's 


THE   CITY  TAKEN.  49 

were  nearly  all  slaughtered ;  those  of  his  caissons,  being  farther 
in  the  rear,  had  partially  escaped.  To  disengage  the  dead  ani 
mals  from  their  harness  and  replace  them  with  the  others 
would  have  consumed  many  minutes.  The  eager  spirit  of  Jack 
son  suggested  the  attachment  of  his  guns  to  the  limbers  of  his 
ammunition-boxes  instead  of  their  own,  and  the  leaving  of  the 
remaining  caissons  on  the  ground.  Thus,  in  an  instant,  his  sec 
tion  was  thundering  after  the  discomfited  Mexicans  towards  the 
gates  of  the  city.  The  next  morning,  September  14th,  two  of 
those  gates  on  the  southwestern  side  were  forced,  the  American 
army  entered,  and  after  some  partial  combats  with  the  riflemen 
in  the  houses  and  upon  the  roofs,  quelled  all  opposition  and 
took  possession  of  the  capital. 

Jackson  had  displayed  qualities  which  could  not  fail  to  draw 
the  eyes  of  his  commanders  upon  him.  The  outline  which  has 
been  given  of  his  share  in  the  battles,  is  sustained  by  the  fol 
lowing  passages  from  the  official  reports  of  the  Commander-in- 
Chief,  Generals  Pillow  and  Worth,  and  his  own  captain.  The 
first  says :  — 

"To  the  north,  and  at  the  base  of  the  mound  (Chapultepec), 
inaccessible  on  that  side,  the  llth  Infantry,  under  Lieut.-Colonel 
Herbert,  and  the  14th  under  Colonel  Tronsdale,  and  Captain 
Magruder's  field-battery,  1st  Artillery  (one  section  advanced 
under  Lieutenant  Jackson),  all  of  Pillow's  division,  had  at  the 
same  time  some  spirited  affairs  against  superior  numbers,  driv 
ing  the  enemy  from  a  battery  in  the  road,  and  capturing  a  gun. 
In  these,  the  officers  and  corps  named  gained  merited  praise. 
Having  turned  the  forest  on  the  west,  and  arriving  opposite  to 
the  north  centre  of  Chapultepec,  Worth  came  up  with  the 
troops  in  the  road  under  Colonel  Tronsdale,  and  aided,  by  a 
flank  movement  of  a  part  of  Garland's  brigade,  in  taking  the 


50  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSOX. 

one-gun  breastwork,  then  under  fire  of  Lieutenant  Jackson's 
section  of  Magruder's  battery." 

General  Pillow  says  :  — 

"Colonel  Tronsdalc's  command,  consisting  of  the  llth  and 
14th  Regiments  of  Infantry,  and  Magruder's  field-battery,  en 
gaged  a  battery  and  large  force  in  the  road,  immediately  on  the 
west  of  Chapultepec.  The  advanced  section  of  the  battery, 
under  command  of  the  brave  Lieutenant  Jackson,  was  dread 
fully  cut  up,  and  almost  disabled.  Though  the  command  of 
Colonel  Tronsdale  sustained  a  severe  loss,  still  he  drove  the 
enemy  from  his  battery,  and  turned  his  guns  upon  his  retreating 
forces.  Captain  Magruder's  battery,  one  section  of  which  was 
served  with  great  gallantry  by  himself,  and  the  other  by  his 
brave  Lieutenant  Jackson,  in  the  face  of  a  galling  fire  from  the 
enemy's  position,  did  invaluable  service  preparatory  to  the 
general  assault." 

General  Worth,  though  commanding  a  different  division  of 
troops,  gives  the  following  tribute :  — 

"  After  advancing  some  four  hundred  yards,  we  came  to  a 
battery  which  had  been  assailed  by  a  portion  of  Magruder's 
field-guns,  particularly  the  section  under  the  gallant  Jackson, 
who,  although  he  had  lost  most  of  his  horses  and  many  of  his 
men,  continued  chivalrously  at  his  post,  combating  with  noble 
courage." 

And  Magruder  thus  recommends  him  for  promotion :  — 

"  I  beg  leave  to  call  the  attention  of  the  Major-General  com 
manding  the  division  to  the  conduct  of  Lieutenant  Jackson  of 
the  1st  Artillery.  If  devotion,  industry,  talent,  and  gallantry 
are  the  highest  qualities  of  a  soldier,  then  is  he  entitled  to  the 
distinction  which  their  possession  confers.  I  have  been  ably 
seconded  in  all  the  operations  of  the  battery  by  him;  and  upon 
this  occasion,  when  circumstances  placed  him  in  command  for  a 


JACKSON   A  BREVET  MAJOR.  51 

short  time  of  an  independent  section,  he  proved  himself  emi 
nently  worthy  of  it." 

It  is  a  singular  coincidence,  that  this  report  of  Captain  Mag- 
ruder  was  addressed  immediately  to  one  who  has  since  had 
disastrous  occasion  to  verify  its  correctness.  It  was  received 
by  Captain  Joe  Hooker,  then  acting  as  adjutant  to  General 
Pillow,  afterwards  a  Major-General  in  the  Federal  army,  and 
Commander  at  Chancellorsville. 

For  his  conduct  in  the  battle  of  Chapultepec,  Jackson 
received  the  brevet  rank  of  Major.  To  this  he  had  risen, 
purely  by  the  force  of  his  merit,  within  seven  months,  from 
the  insignificant  position  of  brevet  second  lieutenant.  No 
other  officer  in  the  whcle  army  in  Mexico  was  promoted  so 
often  for  meritorious  conduct,  or  made  so  great  a  stride  in 
rank.  If  the  conduct  which  has  been  detailed  be  examined,  it 
will  be  found  to  contain  every  evidence  of  bravery,  thirst  for 
distinction,  coolness,  and  military  talent.  We  see  the  young 
Lieutenant,  the  moment  the  fall  of  his  immediate  superior 
placed  him  in  command  of  a  detachment  at  Churubusco,  await 
ing  no  orders,  but  guided  by  the  sound  of  his  Captain's  guns 
on  his  left,  emulously  pressing  forward  towards  the  enemy.  At 
Chapultepec  he  is  assigned  to  the  post  of  honor  and  danger, 
and  advances  with  alacrity.  When  Colonel  Tronsdale,  to 
whom  he  owed  merely  a  momentary  subordination,  thrust  him 
into  a  position  almost  desperate,  and  he  was  well-nigh  deserted 
by  his  men,  he  refused  to  retire  without  orders.  Comprehend 
ing  all  the  advantages  and  perils  of  his  situation  at  once,  he 
proposed  rather  to  exercise  the  further  audacity  of  storming 
the  battery  before  him,  than  to  attempt  a  disastrous  retreat 
exposed  to  its  fire.  And  when  the  arrival  of  reinforcements 
relieved  him  of  his  danger,  he  displayed  his  ready  resource  in 
pursuing  the  defeated  foe,  where  any  other  officer  would  have 


52  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

felt  fully  justified,  in  busying  himself  only  with  carrying  the 
shattered  remains  of  his  command  to  the  rear. 

Many  years  after,  when  his  pupils  were  asking  him  the 
details  of  the  scene,  he  modestly  described  it;  and  one  of  them 
exclaimed  in  astonishment,  "  Major,  why  did  you  not  run,  when 
your  command  was  thus  disabled  ? "  He  answered  with  a 
quiet  smile,  "I  was  not  ordered  to  do  so.  If  I  had  been 
ordered  to  run,  I  should  have  done  so.  But  I  was  directed  to 
hold  my  position,  and  I  had  no  right  to  abandon  it.'?  He  con 
fessed  also  to  an  intimate  friend,  that  the  order  of  Major- 
General  Pillow,  separating  his  section,  for  the  day,  from  his 
Captain,  had  excited  his  abiding  gratitude;  so  that,  while  the 
regular  officers  were  rather  inclined  to  depreciate  that  general 
as  an  unprofessional  soldier,  he  loved  him  because  lie  gave  him 
an  opportunity  to  win  distinction.  His  friends  asked  him  if  he 
felt  no  trepidation  when  so  many  were  falling  around  him.  He 
replied,  no;  the  only  anxiety  of  which  he  was  conscious  in  any 
of  these  engagements,  was  a  fear,  lest  he  should  not  meet 
danger  enough  to  make  his  conduct  under  it  as  conspicuous  as 
he  desired ;  and  as  the  fire  grew  hotter,  he  rejoiced  in  it  as  his 
coveted  opportunity.  He  also  declared  to  those  who  were  sur 
mising  the  effect  of  the  dangers  of  battle  upon  their  spirits, 
that  to  him  it  was  always  exalting,  and  that  he  was  conscious 
of  a  more  perfect  command  of  all  his  faculties,  and  of  their 
more  clear  and  rapid  action,  when  under  fire  than  at  any  other 
time.  This,  it  will  be  remembered,  was  a  distinguishing  feature 
in  the  character  of  Napoleon's  celebrated  lieutenant,  Marshal 
Ney.  The  Emperor  was  wont  to  say  of  him,  that  he  was 
worth  little  as  a  general,  saw  nothing,  and  could  do  nothing, 
till  he  was  enveloped  in  fire  and  smoke.  Then  he  was  all 
energy,  sagacity,  genius. 

After  the  quiet  occupation  of  the  city,  Major  Jackson  became 


FORMS    ACQUAINTANCE  WITH   SPANIARDS.  53 

a  part  of  the  garrison,  and  resided  there,  in  a  state  of  pleasant 
military  leisure,  until  the  diplomatists  had  matured  a  peace,  and 
the  American  army  was  withdrawn.  This  season  of  rest  con 
tinued  several  months.  He  was  one  of  those  who  were  quar 
tered  in  the  national  palace,  so  that  he  used  pleasantly  to  say, 
that  no  one  had  come  nearer  than  himself  to  realizing  the 
inflated  predictions  of  the  demagogues  of  the  day  in  the  United 
States,  that  "  their  soldiers  should  lodge  in  the  halls  of  the  Mon- 
tezumas."  His  duties  were  light,  and  easily  despatched  in  the 
early  forenoon  ;  the  climate  was  delicious ;  every  object  around 
him  was  full  of  grandeur  or  interest  to  his  active  mind;  arid  the 
cultivated  hospitality  of  the  Castilians  was  alluring.  It  is  well 
known  how  easily  the  luxurious  society  of  a  capital  can  forget 
national  prejudices  and  humiliations,  at  the  call  of  social  enjoy 
ment,  and  learn  to  consider  the  accomplished  and  courteous 
professional  soldier  as  no  longer  an  enemy.  Many  Mexicans, 
moreover,  regarded  the  invading  army  rather  in  the  light  of 
deliverers  from  a  disorderly  and  oppressive  government,  than 
of  intruders  and  oppressors.  Immediately  after  the  occupation 
of  the  city,  therefore,  the  places  of  amusement  were  re-opened, 
and  frequented  by  a  mingled  crowd  of  Americans  and  Mexicans, 
the  ladies  walked  the  streets  in  crowds,  and  the  young  officers 
began  to  cultivate  the  acquaintance  of  the  most  distinguished 
families. 

To  qualify  himself  for  enjoying  this  society  more  freely, 
Jackson,  with  a  young  comrade,  addressed  himself  to  the  study 
of  the  Spanish  language.  His  active  mind  was,  besides,  incapa 
ble  of  absolute  repose,  and  he  wished  to  improve  his  leisure 
by  acquiring  knowledge.  He  was  ignorant  of  Latin,  which 
is  not  taught  at  West  Point,  and  the  only  grammar  of  Span 
ish  he  could  find  was  written  in  that  ancient  tongue.  Yet 
he  bought  it,  and  nothing  daunted,  set  himself  to  learn 


54  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

the  paradigms  of  the  language  from  it;  and  by  the  help 
of  reading  and  constant  conversation  with  the  people,  became 
in  a  few  months  a  good  Spanish  scholar.  It  was  an  amusing 
trait  of  his  character  that  he  appeared  afterwards  proud  of  this 
accomplishment,  and  fond  of  exercising  it;  so  far  as  his  modest 
nature  could  be  said  to  make  any  manifestation  of  pride.  He 
ever  took  pleasure  in  testifying  to  the  cultivation,  hospitality, 
and  flowing  courtesy  of  the  Spanish  gentry  in  Mexico ;  and,  like 
Napier,  among  their  kindred  in  their  mother-country,  acknowl 
edged  the  fascination  of  their  accomplished  manners,  and  their 
noble  and  sonorous  tongue,  and  the  indescribable  grace  and 
beauty  of  their  women.  Having  formed  the  acquaintance  of 
some  educated  ecclesiastics  of  the  Romish  Church  (probably 
of  the  order  of  Canons),  he  went,  by  their  invitation,  to  reside 
with  them.  He  found  their  bachelor  abode  the  perfection  of 
luxurious  comfort.  Upon  awaking  in  the  morning,  the  servants 
brought  him,  before  he  arose  from  bed,  a  light  repast,  consisting 
of  a  few  diminutive  spiced  cakes,  and  a  single  cup  of  that 
delicious  chocolate  which  is  found  only  in  Spanish  houses.  He 
then  dressed,  went  out,  and  attended  to  the  drill  of  his  com 
pany.  Later  in  the  morning,  when  the  sun  began  to  display  his 
power,  he  returned  to  a  breakfast  of  coffee,  fruits,  and  game. 
The  greater  part  of  the  day  was  then  spent  in  study  or  visit 
ing;  and  it  closed  with  a  dinner  in  which  Parisian  art  vied 
with  the  tropical  fruits  native  to  the  climate  in  conferring  enjoy 
ment.  One  family  especially  among  his  Spanish  acquaintances 
extended  to  him  a  hospitality  for  which  he  was  always  grateful, 
and  it  possessed  the  attraction  of  several  charming  daughters. 
He  confessed,  years  after,  that  he  found  it  advisable  to  discon 
tinue  his  visits  there ;  and  when  asked  the  reason,  said  with  a 
blush,  that  he  found  the  fascination  of  some  of  the  female 
charms  which  he  met  there  was  likely  to  become  too  strong  for 


RELIGIOUS   ANXIETIES.  55 

his  prudence,  unless  he  escaped  them  in  good  time.  He  declared 
that  if  the  people  of  the  city  had  been  equal  to  their  beautiful 
climate,  in  integrity  and  character,  Mexico  would  have  been  the 
most  alluring  home  for  him  in  the  world.  But  while  his  taste 
felt  the  charms  of  the  Spanish  grace  and  lofty  courtesy,  his 
sturdy  English  sense  and  pure  honor  taught  him  the  incompati 
bility  of  a  hollow  and  corrupt  state  of  morals,  and  a  debasing 
religion,  with  all  his  radical  principles  j  and  so  he  firmly  with 
drew  himself,  before  his  self-respect  was  tarnished. 

But  we  have  now  reached  the  most  important  era  in  Jackson's 
life ;  the  beginning  of  a  vital  change  in  his  religious  character. 
All  the  information  which  can  now  be  gathered,  points  to  the 
devout  Colonel  Frank  Taylor,  commanding  his  regiment  of  artil 
lery,  as  his  first  official  spiritual  guide.  This  good  man  was 
accustomed  to  labor  as  a  father  for  the  religious  welfare  of  his 
young  officers;  and  Jackson's  manly  nature  seems  to  have 
awakened  his  especial  interest.  During  the  campaign  of  the 
summer,  his  instruction  and  prayers  had  produced  so  much 
effect  as  to  awaken  an  abiding  anxiety  and  spirit  of  inquiry 
in  Jackson's  mind.  He  acknowledged  his  former  practical 
neglect  of  this  transcendent  subject,  and  deplored  the  vague 
ness  of  his  religious  knowledge.  It  seems  to  have  been 
almost  a  law  of  his  nature  even  before  it  was  sanctified, 
that,  with  him,  to  be  convinced  in  his  understanding  of  a  duty 
was  to  set  straightway  about  its  performance.  He  resolved  to 
make  the  Bible  his  study,  and  with  a  characteristic  independence 
of  mind,  to  take  nothing,  as  to  his  own  religious  duties,  from 
prejudice,  or  from  the  claims  of  the  various  denominations  into 
which  he  saw  the  religious  world  divided.  His  attitude  towards 
all  creeds  and  sects  was  at  this  time  singularly  unbiassed.  His 
parentage  cannot  be  said  to  have  belonged  to  any  party  in 
religion;  his  youth  had  been  passed  in  a  household  where 


56  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Christianity  was  practically  unknown ;  and  his  later  education 
was  obtained  among  a  great  company  of  young  men,  assembled 
from  every  church,  under  the  slender  instructions  of  an  army 
chaplain.  His  own  religious  knowledge  was  at  this  time 
extremely  scanty.  Resolved  to  examine  for  himself  and  decide 
conscientiously,  he  concluded  that  there  was  now  a  rare  oppor 
tunity  to  inform  himself  concerning  one  church  at  least,  the 
Popish,  from  a  high  and  authentic  source.  He  was  surrounded 
by  educated  Papists  j  and  he  determined  to  hear  the  very  best 
they  could  say  in  commendation  of  their  system.  He  therefore 
sought  the  acquaintance  of  the  Archbishop  of  Mexico,  intro 
duced,  probably,  by  his  monastic  friends,  and  had  a  number  of 
interviews,  in  which  that  prelate  entered  at  large  into  an  expla 
nation  of  the  Romish  system.  Jackson  always  declared  that  he 
believed  him  a  sincere  and  honest  advocate  of  that  Church,  and 
that  he  found  him  not  only  affable,  but  able  and  learned.  He 
also  said  that  the  system,  as  expounded  by  intelligent  Roman 
ists,  was  by  no  means  so  gross  or  so  obnoxious  to  common  sense 
as  is  represented  by  the  mass  of  decided  -Protestants.  The 
truth  is  (and  herein  is  the  subtlety  of  that  form  of  error),  the 
statements  of  doctrines  are  so  artfully  drawn  up  by  the  well- 
trained  doctor  of  the  Romish  Church,  that  they  may  bear  always 
two  phases  of  meaning;  the  one  more  decided  and  gross,  the 
other  more  akin  to  the  evangelical  truth.  When,  for  instance, 
Rome  requires  her  teachers  to  say  that,  in  the  sinner's  justifica 
tion,  the  "  meritorious  cause "  is  the  righteousness  of  Jesus 
Christ,  while  the  "  formal  cause  "  is  the  personal  holiness  in 
wrought  by  the  grace  of  the  gospel  in  the  Christian's  soul ;  the 
words  in  the  hands  of  a  Janscnist,  may  be  made  almost  to  mean 
that  precious  truth  which  every  evangelical  Christian,  in  every 
church,  embraces  in  substance,  that  our  acceptance  before  God 
is  only  in  the  merits  of  the  Redeemer ;  while,  in  the  hands  of  a 


RELIGIOUS   ANXIETIES,  57 

self-righteous  Jesuit,  they  will  teach  essentially  a  Pharisaic 
dependence  on  our  own  observances.  So  the  doctrine  of  per> 
ance  and  absolution,  in  the  instruction  of  the  former,  will  be 
made  to  mean  little  more  than  that  the  minister  of  God's  church 
is  commissioned  to  publish  therein  His  mercy  to  the  truly  peni 
tent  soul;  while,  in  the  teachings  of  the  latter,  it  will  encourage 
the  ignorant  to  believe,  with  a  gross  literality,  that  the  priest, 
and  the  priest  alone,  can  forgive  sins.  Doubtless,  in  the  case 
of  Jackson,  the  skilful  polemic  saw  that  his  mind  was  too  clear 
and  strong  to  be  hoodwinked  by  the  darker  phase  of  these 
dogmas.  But  with  all  the  casuist's  plausibility,  he  failed  to 
commend  Popery  to  his  convictions.  The  inquirer  departed 
unsatisfied,  clearly  convinced  that  the  system  of  the  Bible  and 
that  of  Rome  were  irreconcilable,  and  that  the  true  religion  of 
Jesus  Christ  was  to  be  sought  by  him  elsewhere. 

These  studies  seem  to  have  left  Jackson's  mind  for  a  long 
time  in  a  singular  state.  His  progress  towards  the  full  light 
was  extremely  gradual.  He  was  henceforward  conscientious, 
and  more  than  ever  punctilious  about  the  purity  of  his  life;  he 
never  remitted  his  interest  in  the  great  question  of  his  own  sal 
vation;  yet,  for  more  than  two  years  after,  he  still  remained  in 
suspense.  He  apparently  had  no  clear  persuasion  of  his  own 
acceptance  before  God,  and  no  settled  conviction  as  to*  the 
branch  of  the  Church  which  he  should  select  as  his  own. 

His  residence  in  Mexico,  however,  was  not  long  protracted. 
On  March  5,  1848,  an  armistice  was  concluded  for  two  months 
between  General  Scott  and  the  Mexican  authorities;  and  on 
May  26th,  a  treaty  of  peace  was  finally  ratified.  The  military 
occupation  of  the  city  and  territory  was  therefore  terminated  as 
speedily  as  possible;  and  on  the  12th  of  June,  the  last  of  the 
United  States'  forces  left  the  capital  to  return  home.  Major 
Jackson's  command  was  sent  to  Fort  Hamilton,  a  post  situated 
s 


58  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

upon  Long  Island,  seven  miles  below  New  York  city,  and  com 
manding  the  approach  to  its  harbor,  known  as  the  Narrows. 
Here  we  must  follow  his  quiet  career  for  a  time  through  the 
monotonous  life  of  a  garrison,  diversified  by  occasional  resorts 
to  the  society  of  a  great  city. 


LIFE   IN   LEXINGTON.  59 


CHAPTER    IV. 

LIFE     IN     LEXINGTON. 

THE  narrative  of  Major  Jackson's  introduction  into  the  mili 
tary  academy  of  the  commonwealth  of  Virginia  at  Lexington,  is 
naturally  preceded  by  a  relation  of  the  few  incidents  of  his  resi 
dence  at  Fort  Hamilton.  His  life  here  was  uneventful,  save  in 
his  spiritual  progress.  The  duties  of  the  garrison  fell  lightly 
upon  him;  his  rank  as  an  officer  of  artillery  entitled  him  to 
keep  a  horse,  arid  thus  indulge  his  passion  for  equestrian  exer 
cise  ;  and  the  society  of  the  post,  enlivened  by  the  presence  of 
the  superior  officers'  families,  was  attractive.  Best  of  all,  his 
Christian  friend  and  father,  Colonel  Taylor,  was  residing  near 
him,  and  continued  to  extend  to  him  his  pious  advice.  To  him 
he  ever  after  looked  up,  as  one  of  the  chief  instruments  of  God 
in  bringing  him  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth.  Another 
spiritual  guide  now  presented  himself,  in  the  chaplain  of  the 
garrison,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parks.  This  gifted  man  was  also  an 
alumnus  of  the  military  academy  at  West  Point,  and  a  distin 
guished  scholar.  His  religious  zeal  had  led  him  to  forsake  the 
life  of  a  soldier  for  that  of  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  In  this  communion  he  rose  to 
distinction  as  a  pulpit  orator,  and  professor  in  their  college,  Ran 
dolph  Macon,  in  Virginia.  But  his  ecclesiastical  views  having 
undergone  a  change,  he  took  orders  in  the  Episcopal  Church ; 
and,  as  a  clergyman  of  that  communion,  had,  at  one  time,  a  post 


60  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON". 

at  West  Point,  and,  at  another,  at  Fort  Hamilton.  His  ardent 
nature  found  much  that  was  congenial  in  Jackson's.  Under  his 
ministry,  the  latter  arrived  at  a  comfortable  hope  of  salvation, 
insomuch  that  he  felt  it  his  duty  and  privilege  to  apply  for 
baptism,  which  he  had  never  received.  His  conscientious 
inquiries  into  the  claims  of  the  'different  denominations  of 
Christians  were  still  continued,  without,  however,  bringing  him 
to  any  final  conclusion.  Popery  he  had  examined,  and  rejected 
as  anti-scriptural.  Episcopacy  he  admitted  to  be  an  evangeli 
cal  system;  but  some  of  its  features  he  was  unwilling  to  accept 
as  of  scriptural  authority.  This  state  of  mind  he  explicitly 
avowed  in  asking  for  baptism  at  her  door,  stating  that  he  should 
consider  himself,  if  he  obtained  that  privilege,  not  a  member  of* 
the  Episcopal  denomination,  but  of  the  catholic  body  of  Christ  j 
and  that,  if  ever  his  conscience  and  judgment  were  satisfied  as 
to  the  most  scriptural  form  of  the  Church,  he  should  feel  him 
self  perfectly  free  to  join  it,  whether  it  should  be  that  or  some 
other.  But  as  his  separation  from  civil  life,  and  the  society  of 
other  Christians,  deprived  him  of  the  means  of  comparing  and 
judging  at  that  time,  he  felt  that  it  was  his  duty,  meanwhile,  to 
assume,  in  the  appointed  rite,  the  name  and  service  of  the 
Redeemer,  who,  he  hoped,  had  saved  him.  On  this  understand 
ing,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parks  baptized  him,  and  admitted  him  to  his 
first  communion. 

After  a  residence  of  about  two  years  at  Fort  Hamilton,  Major 
Jackson  was  transferred  to  Fort  Meade.  near  Tampa  Day,  on 
the  west  coast  of  Florida.  It  is  probable  that  the  feebleness 
of  his  health,  by  no  means  invigorated  by  the  fatigues  and 
exposures  of  Mexico,  was  one  motive  of  this  change  of  resi 
dence.  His  abode  at  this  post  seems  to  have  been  as  unevent 
ful  as  it  was  short,  for  he  rarely  made  any  allusion  to  it.  On 
the  27th  of  March,  1851.  he  was  elected  Professor  of  Natural 


PROFESSOR   IN   THE   MILITARY   ACADEMY   OF  VIRGINIA.  61 

and  Experimental  Philosophy  and  Artillery  Tactics  in  the  Mili 
tary  Academy  of  Virginia.  This  school,  founded  about  twelve 
years  before,  upon  the  model  of  the  one  at  West  Point,  had 
grown  nearly  to  the  distinction  of  its  prototype,  and  was  now 
attended  by  several  hundred  young  men  from  Virginia  and 
other  Southern  States.  It  is  placed  near  the  village  of  Lexing 
ton,  in  the  county  of  Rockbridge,  one  of  the  most  fertile  and 
picturesque  districts  in  the  great  valley  of  Virginia.  Its  castel 
lated  buildings,  grandly  situated  on  a  commanding  yet  grassy 
eminence,  overlook  the  country  for  many  miles,  and,  on  the  east, 
confront  the  Blue  Ridge  Mountains,  which  form  the  boundary 
of  the  district  on  that  side.  The  salubrity  of  the  climate,  and 
the  intelligence  of  the  society,  graced  also  by  the  faculty  of 
Washington  College,  have  always  made  Lexington  an  attractive 
residence.  The  prosperity  and  growth  of  the  Military  Institute 
calling  for  another  instructor  in  this  department,  the  eyes  of  its 
governors  were  directed  to  Major  Jackson,  by  his  high  charac 
ter,  scholarship,  and  brilliant  career  in  Mexico.  Other  names 
were  submitted  by  the  Faculty  of  West  Point,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  those  of  General  George  13.  M'Clellan,  Gen 
eral  Reno,  and  General  Rosecranz  of  the  present  Federal 
armies,  and  the  distinguished  General  G.  W.  Smith  of  the  Con 
federate  army.  Cut  the  high  testimonials  given  to  Major  Jack 
son,  and  his  birth  as  a  Virginian,  secured  the  preference  of  the 
visitors,  who  elected  him  by  a  unanimous  vote.  The  fortunate 
issue  of  their  selection  illustrates  the  wisdom  of  that  rule  so 
often  violated  by  the  people  of  the  South,  to  their  own  injury 
and  reproach,  to  give  the  preference,  in  all  appointments  of 
trust,  to  citizens  "  to  the  manor  born."  The  salary  offered  him 
was  the  modest  sum  of  twelve  hundred  dollars,  with  commuta 
tion  for  quarters. 

Jackson  was  no  lover  of  garrison   life,  and  accepted  this 


62  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEtfERAL   JACKSOX. 

place  promptly.  He  afterwards  explained  to  an  intimate 
friend,  that  while  campaigning  was  extremely  congenial  to 
his  tastes,  the  life  of  a  military  post  in  times  of  peace  was 
just  as  repulsive;  that  he  perceived  the  officers  of  the  army 
usually  neglected  self-improvement,  and  rusted,  in  trivial  amuse 
ments,  at  these  fortresses ;  and  that,  on  the  recurrence  of  a 
war,  the  man  who  had  turned,  with  a  good  military  reputation, 
into  the  pursuits  of  a  semi-civilian,  and  who  thus  vigorously 
prosecuted  his  mental  improvement,  might  expect  even  more 
promotion  in  the  army  than  those  who  had  remained  in  the  dull 
tread-mill  of  the  garrison.  But  he  declared  that  he  knew  war 
to  be  his  true  vocation,  that  his  constant  aim  in  life  would  ever 
be  the  career  of  the  soldier,  that  he  only  accepted  a  scholastic 
occupation  during  peace,  and  that  he  was  mainly  induced  to 
this  by  the  military  character  of  the  «chool,  and  by  the  oppor 
tunities  which,  as  professor  of  the  art  of  the  artillerist,  he 
would  enjoy  of  continuing  his  practical  acquaintance  with  his 
chosen  calling.  He  therefore  repaired  to  the  Military  Institute 
in  July,  1851;  and  in  this  honorable  retirement  spent  nearly 
ten  years. 

The  department  of  instruction  committed  to  him,  embraced 
the  theory  and  practice  of  gunnery,  and  the  sciences  of  mechan 
ics,  optics,  and  astronomy.  These  were  taught  in  part  by 
experiment,  and  in  part  by  the  application  of  mathematical  an 
alysis.  To  determine  the  theories  of  light  and  of  motion,  and 
the  doctrines  of  astronomy,  he  employed  the  most  abstruse  and 
refined  applications  of  gcometr\r,  and  of  the  calculus  of  flux 
ions.  The  cadet  was  introduced  from  the  simpler  studies  of 
pure  mathematics  to  this  arduous  course,  and,  consequently,  it 
was  generally  feared  and  disliked  by  him.  Indeed,  it  may  well 
be  questioned,' whether  the  minds  of  most  youths  have  sufficient 
maturity,  at  the  age  when  they  usually  complete  their  second 


HIS   SUCCESS.  63 

year  in  the  military  school,  to  grapple  with  these  discussions 
successfully.  The  major  part  of  the  classes  were,  probably, 
overcome  by  the  demands  made  upon  their  powers  of  abstrac 
tion  and  logic,  and  floundered  along,  in  the  rear  of  their  in 
structor,  catching  only  occasional  glimpses  of  the  recondite 
truth.  Major  Jackson  had  never  been  a  teacher,  nor  had  the 
bustle  of  the  life  into  which  he  plunged,  at  his  first  step  from 
West  Point,  left  him  much  opportunity  to  review  these  abstruse 
studies.  When  asked  by  a  friend  (after  his  success  had  long 
been  assured)  whether  he  had  not  been  diffident  of  himself  in 
undertaking  so  untried  and  arduous  a  course  of  instruction,  he 
replied,  "  No ;  he  expected  to  be  able  to  study  sufficiently  in 
advance  of  his  class  j  for  one  could  always  do  wliat  he  willed  to 
accomplish." 

His  career  as  a  professor  was  respectable,  but  never  popular. 
None  doubted  the  strength  of  his  mind,  nor  his  thorough  schol 
arship,  nor  his  conscientious  industry,  nor  his  justice  and  im 
partiality.  But,  while  all  his  better  students  were  accustomed 
to  assert  his  thorough  competency,  discontent  with  his  labors 
was  not  infrequent,  both  among  his  pupils  and  the  alumni  of 
the  school.  To  all  the  better  intellects  of  his  class  he  com 
municated  accurate  scholarship,  and  the  thoroughness  of  his 
mental  drill  was  most  useful.  But  the  laggards  lagged  very  far 
in  the  rear,  and  he  was  unsuccessful  in  bringing  them  up.  This 
resulted,  as  has  been  already  intimated,  in  part  from  the  difficult 
nature  of  his  department;  but  in  part  also  from  the  constitution 
of  Jackson's  mind.  He  lacked  some  of  the  peculiar  tact  of 
the  eminent  teacher;  and  this  was  precisely  because  of  the 
greatness  of  his  endowments  as  a  soldier  and  commander. 
The  perceptions  of  his  mind  were  so  vigorous  and  distinct, 
and  seized  so  exclusively  on  the  main  points  of  consideration, 
that  all  conclusions  were  with  him  perfectly  defined.  Hence 


64  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

there  was,  to  him,  but  one  formula  of  words  which  gave  an 
exact  expression  to  his  thought.  If  one  complained  that  his 
comprehension  was  imperfect,  and  asked  for  another  statement, 
Jackson  had  no  answer  to  make  save  to  repeat  his  first  formula. 
Now.  to  the  leader,  whose  function  it  is  to  give  orders  to  be 
obeyed,  this  trait  is  invaluable.  In  the  teacher,  whose  work  is 
to  assist  the  comprehension  of  weaker  minds,  it  is  a  defect. 
The  very  force  and  clearness  with  which  Jackson's  mind  moved 
along  from  its  premises  to  its  conclusions,  made  it  improbable 
that  it  would  travel  any  second  path,  less  plain  than  the  one 
first  perceived  by  his  strong  intuition.  Hence,  he  lacked  versa 
tility  and  powers  of  elucidation.  His  intolerance  of  laziness, 
also,  concurred  to  make  the  youth  of  defective  comprehension 
dissatisfied  with  his  teachings.  But  in  the  art  of  examining, 
one  most  essential  to  the  efficiency  of  the  teacher,  he  was  emi 
nent.  His  questions  were  always  fair,  always  well  chosen  to 
eviscerate  the  subject,  and  always  put  in  words  carefully 
selected — words  absolutely  perspicuous,  and  true  to  the  thought 
he  aimed  to  propound,  without  the  use  of  one  superfluous 
phrase.  If  the  pupil  said  he  did  not  comprehend  the  point  of 
the  inquiry,  Jackson  was  sure  to  repeat  precisely  the  same 
•words,  with  yet  more  deliberation.  He  held  that  when  the 
form  of  the  question  was  already  perspicuous,  an  inability  to 
comprehend  it  was,  in  fact,  evidence  of  an  inability  to  answer 
it.  It  may  easily  be  conceived  that  this  method  was  not  likely 
to  be  peculiarly  pleasing  to  an  indolent  youth,  who,  coming  half 
prepared  to  his  recitation,  desired  to  extract  a  hint  to  assist  his 
own  ignorance,  in  the  shape  of  a  "  leading  question"  from  the 
teacher. 

Another  cause  which  detracted  from  Jackson's  success  as  a 
teacher  of  the  natural  sciences,  was  the  lack  of  practical  skill 
in  performing  physical  experiments.  As  has  been  remarked,  he 


HIS   EYESIGHT   IMPAIRED.  65 

was  not  gifted  with  much  of  the  minute  manual  dexterity  which 
goes  to  the  making  of  a  skilful  artisan  or  musician ;  nor  had  his 
mind  that  "mechanical  turn"  which  Sir  Walter  Scott  declared 
to  be,  in  his  opinion,  the  usual  index  of  a  little  trumpery  under 
standing.  His  experiments  were  not  brilliant,  and  sometimes 
they  resulted  in  ludicrous  blunders,  at  which  he  laughed  as 
heartily  as  any  of  the  lads  of  his  class. 

One  of  the  most  painful  consequences  of  his  ill  health  was  a 
weakness  of  the  eyes,  which  rendered  reading  by  any  artificial 
light  injurious,  and  threatened  total  blindness.  This  infirmity 
was  not  usually  revealed  by  any  visible  inflammation,  but  rather 
affected  the  nerves  of  vision.  He  made  it  a  conscientious  duty, 
as  well  as  found  it  a  necessity,  to  forego  all  reading  after  night 
fall,  except  the  short  portion  of  the  Scriptures  with  which  he 
invariably  closed  the  day.  But  as  the  hours  of  daylight  were 
necessarily  much  occupied  with  the  duties  of  the  class-room, 
the  drill,  and  the  Faculty,  this  deprivation  of  the  quiet  hours  of 
night,  which  most  scholars  find  so  precious,  was  a  serious  diffi 
culty,  and  imposed  on  him  a  peculiar  method  of  study.  During 
that  part  of  the  day  which  remained  after  his  morning  recita 
tion,  he  carefully  read  over  the  text  of  the  subjects  which  he 
wished  to  study  for  the  next  day,  fixing  the  outlines  of  the  dis 
cussion  in  his  retentive  memory.  After  devoting  the  remainder 
of  his  afternoon  to  domestic  or  social  duties,  he  took  his  frugal 
supper,  and  proceeded  to  complete  the  studies  of  the  morning 
without  lamp,  book  or  diagram,  either  pacing  the  floor  of  his 
chamber,  or  quietly  seated  with  his  face  to  the  wall.  In  this 
mental  review,  he  passed  over  every  link  of  the  logic  of  the 
discussion,  completed  its  method  in  his  own  mind,  and  assured 
his  perfect  recollection  of  it,  so  as  to  be  prepared  to  teacli  it  on 
the  morrow.  This  study  completed  in  one  or  two  hours,  he 
pleasantly  wheeled  his  chair  towards  the  fire,  removed  the 


66  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

injunction  which  ho  laid,  at  beginning,  against  addressing  con 
versation  to  him,  and  passed  into  whatever  topic  engaged  the 
attention  of  his  family.  His  instructions  in  the  class-room  were 
accordingly  conducted  without  ever  referring  to  books,  although 
very  closely  conformed  to  them.  Not  only  was  his  recollection 
of  their  contents  perfect,  but  even  of  the  place  upon  the  page 
where  each  proposition  might  be  found.  Now,  when  his  depart 
ment  of  instruction  is  remembered,  which  involved  the  constant 
use  of  the  most  refined  mathematical  analysis,  and  discussion 
of  figure,  dimensions,  motions,  and  relations  of  bodies  in  space, 
which  most  minds  comprehend  with  difficulty,  even  by  the  aid 
of  diagrams  and  models,  the  best  scholar  will  best  understand 
how  astonishing  was  the  exercise  of  memory,  abstraction, 
imagination,  and  logical  power  in  these  studies.  Some  may 
notice  with  incredulity  the  word  imagination,  included  in  this 
enumeration,  and  may  rejoin,  that  Jackson  was  notoriously 
unimaginative  and  prosaic.  If  the  name  of  this  noble  faculty, 
the  imagination,  be  degraded,  as  it  is  popularly,  to  express 
the  habitude  of  employing  many  tropes,  either  invented,  or 
recollected  and  borrowed,  in  the  expression  of  the  thoughts, 
then  it  is  conceded  that  ho  was  not  imaginative.  He  was 
not  prone  to  indulge  his  fancy;  but,  whether  through  inca 
pacity,  the  reader  will  perhaps  discover.  If,  however,  imagina 
tion  is  used  in  its  proper  sense,  to  express  the  creative  power 
of  the  mind,  the  ability  to  reproduce  in  the  chambers  of  the 
soul,  and  without  the  aid  of  sensation,  the  elements  of  concep 
tion,  and  to  combine  them,  with  a  vivid  distinctness,  in  new 
relations,  then  Jackson  had  the  faculty  in  great  strength.  And, 
hence,  it  becomes  true,  that  there  is  no  better  cultivation  of  this 
faculty,  than  in  the  distinct  comprehension  of  the  subjects  of  the 
applied  mathematics,  in  their  higher  branches,  by  this  purely 
mental  study.  The  great  mathematician  may  not  be  accustomed 


HIS   IMAGINATION.  67 

to  bedizen  his  discourses  with  similes  concerning  purling  brooks 
and  silvery  moonbeams ;  *  but  he  can  map  out  in  conception  the 
great  circles  of  the  heavens,  equinoctial  and  ecliptic,  with  the 
orbits  of  the  planets,  and  grasp  the  related  movements  of  the 
worlds  in  his  thought,  as  they  wheel  in  intricate,  yet  orderly 
labyrinths  j  a  task  under  which  the  feeble  mind  of  the  poetaster 
collapses  in  hopeless  confusion.  The  former  knows  how  to 
body  forth,  with  the  distinctness  of  actual  vision,  the  combina 
tions  of  all  the  elements  of  thought  which  the  mind  gathers,  in 
her  illimitable  excursions  beyond  the  regions  explored  by  the 
senses.  He  can  so  produce,  before  his  thought,  things  that  are 
not  seen,  and  things  that  shall  be,  with  the  palpable  reality  of 
things  that  are  seen,  and  of  things  that  are,  as  to  awaken  by 
them  all  the  strong  emotions  of  the  soul,  which  in  natures  less 
noble  wait  upon  the  actual  information  of  sensation.  And  this 
is  most  essentially  that  faculty  of  the  intellect  which  raises  man 
from  the  sensuous  animal  toward  the  all-knowing  Spirit,  in 
whose  image  he  is  made.  This  is  the  faculty  which,  in  the  great 
statesman  and  commander,  groups  the  data  for  the  inspection  of 
the  profound  judgment,  which  enables  him  for  the  clear  compre 
hension  of  vast  and  multiplex  affairs,  and  which  ministers  to  his 
soul  the  stimulus  of  grand  resolves. 

One  can  now  comprehend  how  valuable  was  the  training 
which  Jackson's  mind  received,  in  these  meditations  without 
book  upon  abstract  truths,  for  his  work  as  a  soldier.  Command 
over  his  attention  was  formed  into  a  habit  which  no  tempest  of 
confusion  could  disturb.  His  power  of  abstraction  became  un 
rivalled.  His  imagination  was  trained  and  invigorated,  until  it 
became  competent  for  grouping  the  most  extensive  and  complex 
considerations.  The  power  of  his  mind  to  endure  its  own  ten- 

*  Purpureus,  late  qui  splendcat,  unus  et  alter 
Assuitur  pannus.  Hon.  Ad  Pisones. 


68  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

sion,  in  the  labors  of  reflection  and  volition,  was  drilled  like 
the  strength  of  the  athlete.  His  self-concentration  became  un 
surpassed.  Having  fixed  upon  his  mind  the  positions  of  his 
forces  and  of  the  enemy's,  and  the  relations  of  the  routes,  rivers, 
mountains  and  fortresses,  by  the  inspection  of  a  map ;  he  could 
study  all  the  possible  combinations  of  movements  as  he  rode, 
rapt  in  thought,  at  the  head  of  his  columns,  with  as  much 
maturity  as  though  alone  in  his  chamber.  Hence,  in  part,  it 
resulted,  that  while  no  commander  gave  more  scope  to  his  own 
versatility  and  resource  in  the  progress  of  events,  there  was 
never  one  whose  foresight  was  more  complete.  Nothing  emerged 
which  had  not  been  considered  before  in  his  mind;  no  possi 
bility  was  overlooked  ;  he  was  never  surprised. 

Jackson's  life  at  the  military  school  in  Lexington  was  regular, 
and  marked  by  few  incidents.  It  was,  however,  the  season  when 
his  personal  character  received  its  shape.  It  therefore  appears 
a  suitable  place  in  this  narrative,  to  proceed  with  its  delineation, 
illustrating  it  by  the  few  events  of  the  period. 

He  was,  without  doubt,  of  a  nature  intensely  ambitious  and 
aspiring.  The  depression  of  his  poverty  and  orphanage,  in  his 
youth,  had  only  stimulated  this  passion  in  him.  The  evidences 
of  its  existence  have  been  already  given,  in  his  zeal  for  military 
distinction  during  the  Mexican  War,  and  for  scholarship  at  West 
Point,  as  well  as  in  his  ulterior  purposes  of  life.  To  his  inti 
mate  friend  he  once  remarked,  that  the  officer  should  always 
make  the  attainment  of  rank  supreme,  within  honorable  bounds, 
over  every  other  consideration.  Some  sacrificed  advancement 
to  convenience,  to  secure  service  in  a  post  where  residence  was 
pleasant,  or  to  evade  the  authority  of  a  harsh  or  unpopular 
superior ;  but  his  rule  had  been  to  secure  promotion,  if  possible, 
at  the  cost  of  all  such  considerations ;  because,  with  the  ad 
vancement  in  rank,  the  chances  for  distinction  must  usually 


HIS   AMBITION.  69 

improve.  But  his  love  of  truth  and  rectitude  was  too  strong 
and  instinctive  to  permit  his  thirsting  for  any  other  than 
deserved  distinction.  He  drew  broadly  the  mark  between 
notoriety  and  true  fame.  His  passion  deserved,  as  nearly  as 
any  man's  could,  the  poet's  description  as  — 

"The  last  infirmity  of  noble  minds." 

Yet  it  was,  as  he  himself  avowed,  an  infirmity ;  that  is  to  say, 
it  was  unquestionably  an  unsanctified  principle,  and  inconsistent 
with  Christian  holiness  —  as  it  is  in  the  breasts  of  all  natural 
men.  His  Christian  character  was  then  in  its  germ,  and  the 
spirit  of  the  military  profession  in  which  he  had  long  been 
immersed,  far  away  from  all  churches  and  their  influences, 
blinded  him  to  the  nature  of  his  aspirations.  Yery  soon,  he 
listened  to  no  other  than  a  sanctified  ambition.  In  June,  1854, 
the  Visitors  of  the  University  of  Virginia  held  an  election  for 
Professor  of  Mathematics,  to  succeed  Mr.  Courtenay,  himself  an 
alumnus  of  West  Point,  who  had  long  filled  that  place  usefully 
and  respectably.  This  University  was  the  first  in  America,,  in 
the  thoroughness  of  its  instructions,  and  the  dignities  and  emol 
uments  of  its  professors.  Jackson  presented  himself  as  a  can 
didate,  and  procured  many  testimonials  in  support  of  his  claims 
from  persons  of  distinction,  in  which  they  concurred  in  ascrib 
ing  to  him  competent  scholarship,  while  they  dwelt  on  his  ener 
gy,  devotion  to  duty,  and  courage.  Among  these  were  many 
teachers  of  the  West-Point  Academy,  and  Lieut.-Col.  Robert  E. 
Lee,  then  its  Superintendent.  When  Jackson  mentioned  his 
project  to  his  friend,  he  said  to  him :  "  Have  you  not  departed 
here  from  what  you  told  me,  upon  coming  to  this  military  school, 
was  the  purpose  of  your  life  ?  "  [He  referred  to  the  declaration 
that  war  was  his  proper  vocation.]  Jackson,  who  seemed  never 
to  forget  his  own  most  casual  remarks,  or  to  overlook  the  obli- 


70  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

gallon  to  maintain  consistency  with  what  he  had  once  said, 
replied,  "  I  avow  that  my  views  have  changed."  He  then  pro 
ceeded  to  explain,  that  while  he  should  ever  retain  the  same 
conviction  concerning  his  own  adaptation  to  the  soldier's  life, 
his  convictions  concerning  war  as  a  pathway  to  distinction  were 
greatly  modified ;  and  that  he  would  now  by  no  means  accept  a 
commission  in  any  war  which  the  United  States  might  wage, 
irrespective  of  its  morality.  He  had  never,  he  said,  while  an 
ungodly  man,  been  inclined  to  tempt  Providence  by  going  in 
advance  of  his  duty ;  he  had  never  seen  the  day  when  he  would 
have  been  likely  to  volunteer  for  a  forlorn  hope,  although  indif 
ferent  to  the  danger  of  a  service  to  which  he  was  legitimately 
ordered.  But  now,  that  he  was  endeavoring  to  live  the  life  of 
faith,  he  would  engage  in  no  task  in  which  he  did  not  believe  he 
should  enjoy  the  Divine  approbation;  because,  with  this,  he 
should  feel  perfectly  secure  under  the  disposal  of  Divine  Provi 
dence  ;  without  it,  he  would  have  no  right  to  be  courageous. 
If,  then,  his  country  were  assailed  in  such  a  way  as  to  justify  an 
appeal  to  defensive  war  in  God's  sight,  he  should  desire  to 
return  to  military  life;  but  unless  this  happened,  he  should 
continue  a  simple  citizen.  But  as  such  he  regarded  it  as  every 
man's  duty  to  seek  the  highest  cultivation  of  his  powers,  and  the 
widest  sphere  of  activity  within  his  reach;  and  therefore  he 
desired  to  be  transferred  to  the  State  University.  In  this 
desire,  however,  he  was  disappointed ;  another  gentleman  was 
elected,  and  he  acquiesced  with  perfect  cheerfulness. 

In  politics,  Jackson  was  always  a  Democrat.  This  term,  in 
Virginia,  always  had  reference  more  to  the  principles  of  Federal 
polity,  the  assertion  of  the  sovereignty  and  reserved  rights  of 
the  States,  and  the  strict  limitation  of  those  of  the  Central 
Government,  with  the  advocacy  of  a  simple  and  unambitious 
exercise  of  its  delegated  powers,  which  were  inculcated  by  Mr. 


HIS   POLITICS.  71 

Jefferson,  than  to  a  government  for  the  individual  States,  strictly 
popular,  and  founded  on  universal  suffrage.  To  the  latter,  the 
most  of  the  Virginian  statesmen  of  the  States'  Rights  school 
were  no  friends ;  and  the  State-constitution  of  South  Carolina, 
the  most  thoroughly  democratic  of  all  the  States  as  to  Federal 
politics,  is  the  farthest  removed  from  literal  democracy.  But  it 
is  probable  that  Jackson  would  have  accepted  the  name  of  a 
Democrat  in  more  of  its  literality  than  the  statesmen  we  have 
described.  In  Federal  politics  he  was  certainly  a  strict  con- 
structionist  of  the  straitest  sect.  He  voted  with  his  party 
uniformly.  To  political  discussions,  in  conversation,  he  was  not 
given ;  and,  while  exceedingly  exact  in  maintaining  candor,  he 
would  usually  content  himself,  when  assailed  by  a  political 
opponent,  with  a  firm  and  polite  declaration  that  he  could  not 
concur  in  his  opinions,  relapsing  then  into  a  silence  from  which 
no  pertinacity  could  tempt  him.  With  one  or  two  intimates  he 
conversed  on  public  measures  freely  and  with  animation.  And 
they  always  found  his  thoughts  original  and  profound.  He  read 
little  of  the  political  journals;  had  there  been  no  other  reason 
for  his  disregard  of  them,  his  conscientious  belief  that  it  was 
his  duty  to  employ  his  feeble  eyesight  in  more  important  things, 
would  have  prevented  him.  His  political  opinions  were,  there 
fore,  very  far  from  being  the  echo  of  other  men's  He  approached 
each  subject  from  his  own  point  of  view,  and  this  was  usually 
found  to  be  as  conclusive  as  it  was  original. 

Unaffected  modesty  was  imprinted  upon  his  countenance,  and 
every  trait  of  his  manners.  No  man  ever  lived  who  was  further 
removed  from  egotism.  Even  his  most  intimate  friend  never  heard 
him  mention  his  own  brilliant  military  career,  of  his  own  accord ; 
nor  did  he  ever  speak  of  his  family  or  kindred,  many  of  whom, 
by  their  talents  and  social  position,  might  have  afforded  topics 
for  a  boastful  man.  Yet  his  self-reliance  was  strong  j  as  was 


<-  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

proved  by  his  favorite  maxim.  Mentioning  to  a  friend,  one  day 
the  omission  in  his  academic  education  at  West  Point,  which 
left  him  ignorant  of  Latin,  he  added:  "But  I  think  it  probable 
that  I  shall  some  day  repair  this,  and  become  as  familiar  with 
that  language  as  with  the  Spanish."  His  friend  replied,  that 
perhaps  he  might  acquire  a  partial  knowledge  of  it  by  great 
effort ;  but  it  was  generally  held,  that  one  who  had  not  imprinted 
the  forms  of  the  language  on  the  plastic  memory  in  childhood, 
could  never  repair  that  loss,  so  as  to  become  a  familiar  master 
of  the  tongue.  He  answered,  "  No ;  if  I  attempt  it,  I  shall  be 
come  a  master  of  the  language  j  I  can  accomplish  whatever  I 
will  to  do."  When  he  was  a  candidate  for  the  Chair  of  Mathe 
matics  in  the  University  of  Virginia,  one  of  his  few  intimates 
suggested  a  fear  that  he  had  mistaken  his  own  capacities,  in 
seeking  that  place ;  because  the  method  of  teaching  there  was 
so  largely  by  lecture ;  whereas  his  method  was  by  the  use  of 
text-books ;  and  he  must  be  aware  that  he  had  little  facility  in 
extempore  discourse.  He  acknowledged  that  he  well  knew  that 
fact,  and  never  dreamed  of  becoming  eloquent;  but,  said  he, 
u  by  effort  I  shall  succeed  as  a  lecturer,  for  I  can  accomplish 
anything  I  will  to  perform."  It  may  be  added,  that  there  is  no 
instance  known  in  which  he  failed  of  realizing  his  boast. 

The  strength  of  his  will  was  shown  in  his  unfailing  punctu 
ality,  in  the  vigor  of  his  self-discipline  —  both  bodily  and  mental, 
and  in  the  energy  of  his  actions.  Among  other  improvements 
of  his  powers,  he  determined  that  lie  would  acquire  the  art  of 
speaking  in  public.  To  this  end  he  became  a  member  of  the 
11  Franklin  Society,"  a  respectable  literary  association  in  Lexing 
ton  —  endowed  with  a  handsome  hall  and  library  —  where  the 
gentlemen  of  the  town  and  of  its  scholastic  institutions  met  for 
forensic  debates,  and  other  intellectual  exercises.  Here  he  was 
always  a  punctual  attendant,  and  always  spoke  in  his  turn.  His 


SUCCESS   AS    A   PUBLIC    SPEAKER.  73 

first  essays  were  as  painful  to  his  audience  as  they  probably 
were  to  himself;  confused,  halting,  and  frequently  ending  in  an 
abrupt  silence,  when  the  power  of  controlling  his  thoughts  for 
the  time  deserted  him.  Thus  arrested  by  his  own  embarrass 
ment,  he  would  sit  down,  nowise  abashed ;  and  so  powerful  was 
the  impress  of  his  modesty  and  manly  purpose  upon  his  fellow- 
members,  that  none  were  ever  seen  to  smile  at  these  failures, 
although  sometimes  repeated  a  second  and  a  third  time,  in  the 
same  evening.  At  a  suitable  moment  he  would  rise  again,  and 
renew  his  effort,  perhaps  to  end  it  with  a  similar  painful  halt. 
But  before  the  close  of  the  debate  he  would  succeed  in  ex 
pressing  the  substance  of  what  he  had  in  his  mind.  By  this 
dogged  resolution,  he  gradually  learned  to  control  his  diffidence, 
and  became  an  effective  speaker.  His  manner  was  rapid  and 
emphatic,  his  thoughts  marked  by  great  directness,  and  his  dis 
course  began  and  ended  with  exceedingly  little  of  exordium  and 
peroration.  So  complete  was  his  success,  that  he  was  said  to 
have  made,  in  a  popular  assemblage  of  his  neighborhood,  one  of 
the  most  effective  speeches  ever  heard.  It  was  but  ten  minutes 
long ;  but  it  produced  unanimity  in  an  assembly  before  divided. 
He  might  have  said,  like  the  patriarch  of  IJz,  "  Unto  me  men 
gave  ear,  and  waited,  and  kept  silence  at  my  counsel :  after  my 
words,  they  spake  not  again." 

During  nearly  his  whole  life  in  Lexington,  Jackson  was  a  val 
etudinarian,  and  his  regimen  of  body  contributed  no  little  to  his 
character  for  singularity.  He  was  ever  scrupulously  neat,  and 
having,  in  one  of  his  vacations,  visited  a  hydropathic  establish 
ment  in  New  England  with  supposed  benefit,  he  became  after 
wards  a  still  greater  votary  of  cold  water.  He  seems  to  have 
studied  physiology  and  the  laws  of  health  in  the  same  conscien 
tious  and  business-like  manner  in  which  he  performed  all  his 
tasks,  and  to  have  formed  his  own  conclusions  as  to  diet  from 
10 


74  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

observing  his  own  sensations.  When  these  results  were  reached, 
he  followed  them  out  with  an  absolute  self-denial,  and  without  a 
particle  of  regard  to  their  singularity.  Yet,  unlike  most  inva 
lids,  he  was  as  catholic  towards  others  as  he  was  strict  to  him 
self;  and,  allowing  each  person  to  be  a  law  unto  himself,  never 
denounced  their  indulgences  as  excesses,  because  they  would 
have  been  such  if  committed  by  him.  Some  of  his  self-denying 
customs  appeared  very  odd  to  those  around  him ;  but  their  de 
fence  may  be  found  in  the  fact,  that  this  temperance  repaired  an 
enfeebled  constitution,  and  made  it  capable  of  great  endurance. 
The  most  learned  physiologists  now  admit,  that  the  surd  antip 
athies  and  appetencies  of  the  corporeal  tastes  are  often  the  most 
profoundly  accurate  indications  of  the  wants  of  the  system. 
Thus,  when  Jackson  for  a  season  refused  the  least  trace  of  any 
thing  saccharine  in  his  food,  his  conduct  was  probably  wiser 
than  that  of  the  observers  who  called  him  whimsical.  It  is 
noteworthy  that,  at  all  times,  he  preferred  the  simplest  food, 
and  that  he  lived  absolutely  without  any  stimulant ;  using  neither 
tea,  coifee,  tobacco,  nor  wine.  This  abstinence,  however,  was 
from  principle,  not  from  insensibility.  Thus,  reconnoitering  the 
enemy's  front  on  an  occasion,  in  the  winter  of  1862,  when  pru 
dence  forbade  the  use  of  fire,  he  became  so  chilled,  that  his 
medical  attendant,  in  real  alarm  for  his  safety,  urged  him  to 
take  some  stimulant.  There  was  nothing  at  hand  except  ardent 
spirits,  and  so  he  consented  to  take  some.  As  he  experienced  a 
difficulty  in  swallowing  it,  and  it  seemed  to  produce  the  sensa 
tion  of  choking,  his  friend  asked  if  it  was  very  unpleasant. 
"No,"  said  he;  "no,  I  like  it;  I  always  did;  and  that  is  the 
reason  I  never  use  it"  At  another  time  he  took  a  long  and 
exhausting  walk  with  a  brother  officer,  who  was  also  a  temperate 
and  God-fearing  man.  The  walk  terminating  at  his  quarters, 
he  proposed  to  General  Jackson,  in  consequence  of  their  fatigue, 


HIS   HEALTH.  75 

to  join  him  in  a  glass  of  brandy  and  water:  "No,"  said  he;  "I 
am  much  obliged,  but  I  never  use  it;  I  am  more  afraid  of  it 
than  of  Federal  bullets."  What  a  rebuke  is  here  to  that  vain 
conceit  and  pride  of  character,  which  resents  the  friendly 
caution,  and  the  call  to  watchfulness  as  disparaging  to  one:s 
strength.  This  mighty  man  of  God  acknowledged  that  he  was 
afraid  of  temptation.  "  When  he  was  weak,  then  was  nc 
strong."  How  many  a  young  man  would  have  escaped  the 
drunkard's  grave  if  he  had  acted  on  this  manly  philosophy ! 
Jackson  always  professed  his  ability  to  exert  an  absolute  con 
trol  over  his  appetites ;  and  declared  that  he  could  feel  little 
sympathy  with  suffering  in  others,  which  was  caused  by  self- 
indulgence.  When  the  people  about  him  complained  of  head 
aches,  or  other  consequences  of  imprudence,  he  would  say :  "  Do 
as  I  do ;  govern  yourself  absolutely,  and  you  will  not  suffer. 
My  head  never  aches ;  if  a  thing  disagrees  with  me,  I  never 
eat  it." 

His  hours  were  early  and  regular ;  and  rare  must  be  the 
social  obligation  which  induced  him  to  depart  from  them.  For 
in  all  these  regulations,  imposed  on  himself  for  the  preservation 
of  his  health,  he  was  accustomed  to  argue,  that  having  deter 
mined  any  rule  to  be  necessary,  he  was  under  a  moral  obligation 
to  observe  it.  In  vain  did  any  friend  plead  that  the  one  instance 
of  relaxation  in  his  system  could  not  possibly  work  an  appre 
ciable  injury.  His  uniform  answer  was:  "Perfectly  true;  but 
it  would  become  a  precedent  for  another,  and  thus  my  rule 
would  be  broken  down,  and  health  would  be  injured,  which 
would  be  a  sin."  Thus  he  carried  out  his  self-denial  in  the  use 
of  his  eyesight  so  rigidly,  that  even  a  letter  received  on  Satur 
day  night,  if  it  was  only  one  of  compliment  or  friendship,  was 
not  read  by  him  until- Monday  morning;  for  his  Sabbaths  were 
sacredly  reserved  from  the  smallest  secular  distractions.  If  his 


76  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

friend  exclaimed,  "Surely,  Major,  your  eyes  would  not  be  injured 
by  the  reading  of  one  letter  now; "  his  answer  was,  "I  suppose 
they  would  not;  but  if  T  read  this  letter  to-night,  which  it  is 
not  truly  necessary  to  do,  I  shall  be  tempted  to  read  something 
else  that  interests  me  to-morrow  night,  and  the  next,  so  that  my 
rule  will  be  broken  down.  Then  rny  eye-sight  will  undoubtedly 
be  injured.  But  if  I  thus  incapacitate  myself,  by  acts  not  really 
necessary,  for  my  duties  to  my  employers  and  my  pupils  in  the 
institute,  I  shall  commit  sin."  And  once,  when  his  most  intimate 
friend  knew  that  he  had  received  a  letter  of  affection  late  on 
Saturday  night,  the  question  was  asked,  as  they  were  walking  to 
church  on  Sabbath  morning,  "  Major,  surely  you  have  read  your 
letter  ?  "  "  Assuredly  not,"  said  he.  "  Where  is  it  ?  "  asked  his 
friend.  "Here,"  said  he,  tapping  the  pocket  of  ins  coat. 
"  What  obstinacy  !  "  exclaimed  his  friend.  "  Do  you  not  know 
that  your  curiosity  to  learn  its  contents  will  distract  your  atten 
tion  from  divine  worship,  far  more  than  if  you  had  done  with 
reading  it?  Surely,  in  this  case,  to  depart  from  your  rule 
would  be  prouiotive  of  a  true  Sabbath  observance,  instead  of 
injurious  to  it  ?  "  "  No,"  answered  he,  quietly,  "  I  shall  make 
the  most  faithful  effort  I  can  to  govern  my  thoughts,  arid  guard 
them  from  unnecessary  distraction ;  and  as  I  do  this  from  a 
sense  of  duty,  I  expect  the  divine  blessing  on  it."  Accordingly, 
he  afterwards  declared,  that  his  soul  was  on  that  day  unusually 
composed  and  devout,  and  his  spiritual  enjoyment  of  the  public 
and  private  worship  of  the  day  peculiarly  rich. 

Under  a  similar  sense  of  moral  responsibility,  he  acquitted 
himself  punctually  of  all  social  obligations.  When  a  single 
man,  he  went  into  society  as  frequently  as  other  young  men  of 
regular  habits,  saying  that  he  was  constrained  to  do  so  by  a 
sense  of  justice  and  humanity ;  for  when  an  acquaintance  took 
the  trouble  to  prepare  an  entertainment,  and  honored  him  with 


SENSE   OF   MORAL   RESPONSIBILITY.  77 

an  invitation,  to  attend,  where  no  duty  interposed,  was  the  only 
equitable  return  due  for  the  kindness.  In  such  assemblages  he 
was  never  entirely  at  ease ;  but  it  may  be  said  with  truth,  that 
there,  as  everywhere,  his  courtesy  was  perfect.  No  attention 
due  to  the  host  and  hostess  was  ever  omitted ;  no  salutation 
ever  failed  to  meet  the  most  polite  return;  the  very  slightest 
favor  never  went  without  thanks.  No  female  ever  came  short 
of  her  fair  share  of  the  attentions  of  the  other  sex,  that  he  did 
not  at  once  relinquish  his  own  preferences,  and  devote  himself 
to  her  entertainment.  But  when  his  early  hour  of  retirement 
came,  no  allurements  could  detain  him;  and  sometimes  the 
ingenious  plans  laid  by  fair  enemies  to  keep  him,  which  he 
was  too  courteous  to  break  through,  placed  him  for  a  moment 
in  amusing  embarrassment.  One  of  his  most  rigid  rules  was, 
never  to  eat  a  morsel  after  his  frugal  supper.  Hence,  in  the 
refreshments  offered  at  a  later  hour,  he  refused  to  have  any  part, 
to  the  distress  of  his  hostesses.  Amidst  the  clatter  of  china  and 
conversation,  and  the  sparkle  of  wines  and  ices,  the  tall  form  of 
the  Major  stood  firm ;  polite,  yet  constrained ;  in  the  gay  throng, 
but  not  of  it.  When  a  friend  urged  him  at  least  to  avoid  the 
awkwardness  of  the  position  for  himself  and  the  hostess,  by  seem 
ing  to  participate,  his  answer  was  that  he  did  not  consider  it 
truthful  to  seem  to  do  what  he  was  not  really  doing.  Indeed,  his 
care  not  to  transgress  the  strict  truth  seemed  to  others  exces 
sive.  He  never  talked  at  random,  even  in  the  most  unguarded 
moment,  or  on  the  most  trivial  subject.  All  his  statements 
were  well-considered.  On  rare  occasions  something  might  have 
escaped  him  which  he  regarded  as  an  exception ;  and  then,  it 
mattered  not  how  unessential  the  subject  of  it  might  be,  and 
how  impossible  it  might  appear  that  any  actual  evil  could 
emerge  out  jf  his  mistake,  he  made  it  a  part  of  the  serious 
business  of  the  next  day  to  give  a  full  explanation. 


78  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

His  person  was  tall,  erect,  and  muscular,  with  the  large  hands 
and  feet  characteristic  of  all  his  race.  His  bearing  was  pecu 
liarly  English;  and  therefore,  in  the  somewhat  free  society  of 
America,  was  regarded  as  constrained.  Every  movement  was 
quick  and  decisive;  his  articulation  was  not  rapid,  but  distinct 
and  emphatic,  and,  accompanied  by  that  laconic  and  perspicuous 
phrase  to  which  it  was  so  well  adapted,  it  often  made  the 
impression  of  curtness.  He  practised  a  military  exactness  in 
all  the  courtesies  of  good  society.  Different  opinions  existed 
as  to  his  comeliness,  because  it  varied  so  much  with  the  condition 
of  his  health  and  animal  spirits.  His  brow  was  exceedingly 
fair  and  expansive ;  his  eyes  were  blue,  large,  and  expressive, 
reposing  usually  in  placid  calm,  but  able  none  the  less  to  flash 
lightning.  His  nose  was  Roman,  and  exceedingly  well  chiselled ; 
his  cheeks  ruddy  and  sunburnt;  his  mouth  firm  and  full  of 
meaning ;  and  his  chin  covered  with  a  beard  of  comely  brown. 
The  remarkable  characteristic  of  his  face  was  the  contrast  be 
tween  its  sterner  and  its  gentler  moods.  As  he  accosted  a 
friend,  or  dispensed  the  hospitalities  of  his  own  house,  his 
serious,  constrained  look  gave  place  to  a  smile,  so  sweet  and 
sunny  in  its  graciousness,  that  he  was  another  man.  But  hearty 
laughter,  especially,  was  a  complete  metamorphosis.  His  blue 
eyes  then  danced,  and  his  countenance  rippled  with  a  glee  and 
abandon  literally  infantile.  This  smile  was  indescribable  to 
one  who  never  saw  it.  Had  there  been  a  painter  with  genius 
subtile  enough  to  fix  upon  his  canvas,  side  by  side,  the  spirit  of 
the  countenance  with  which  he  caught  the  sudden  jest  of  a  child 
romping  on  his  knees,  and  that  with  which,  in  the  crisis  of  battle, 
he  gave  his  generals  the  sharp  and  strident  command,  "  Sweep 
the  field  with  the  bayonet  1 "  ho  would  have  accomplished  a 
miracle  of  art,  which  the  spectator  could  scarcely  credit  as  true 
to  nature. 


POPULAR   ESTIMATE   EXPLAINED.  79 

In  walking,  liis  step  was  long  and  rapid,  and  at  once  suggested 
the  idea  of  the1  dismounted  horseman.  It  has  been  said  that  he 
was  an  awkward  rider,  but  incorrectly.  A  sufficient  evidence 
of  this  is  the  fact  that  he  was  never  thrown.  It  is  true  that  on 
the  march,  when  involved  in  thought,  he  was  heedless  of  the 
grace  of  his  posture;  but  in  action,  or  as  he  rode  with  bare 
head  along  his  column,  acknowledging  the  shouts  which  rent  the 
skies,  no  figure  could  be  nobler  than  his.  His  judgment  of 
horses  was  excellent,  and  it  was  very  rare  that  he  was  not  well 
mounted. 

Such  was  the  man  as  he  left  the  quiet  walks  of  the  Military 
Academy,  in  the  spring  of  1861,  to  begin  a  career  which  was 
to  fill  the  world  with  his  fame.  Most  of  those  who  were  con 
versant  with  him  were  unconscious  of  his  power.  A  few  inti 
mates,  indeed,  were  well  aware  of  his  capacity,  and  predicted 
for  him  an  exalted  destiny  (for  which  they  were  usually  held  to 
be  as  singular  as  Jackson  himself) ;  but,  with  the  many,  he 
passed  for  a  sensible,  odd  man,  of  undoubted  courage,  energy, 
and  goodness ;  competent  to  a  respectable  success  in  anything 
to  which  he  might  bend  his  determined  will,  but  to  nothing 
more.  Yet  the  cadets  of  his  school  gloried  in  his  military 
prowess,  of  discussing  which  they  were  never  weary ;  and  the 
universal  feeling  among  them  was,  that  if  ever  they  were  called 
into  actual  service,  he  was  the  man  whom  they  would  prefer  for 
their  leader.  The  incorrect  estimate  which  the  many  formed  of 
him  can  be  readily  explained.  Major  Jackson  was  a  man  whom 
it  was  no  easy  matter  to  know ;  not  because  he  sought  to  hide 
himself  from  scrutiny,  nor  because  he  was  in  the  slightest  degree 
covert  in  what  he  said  or  did,  but  because  there  was  a  breadth 
and  depth  of  character  about  him,  that  would  never  be  suspected 
by  the  superficial  and  bigoted.  He  was  pre-eminently  modest, 
and  inexpressibly  opposed  to  self-display,  and  equally  consider- 


80  LIFE    OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON". 

ate  of  the  taste  and  character  of  those  with  whom  he  held  inter 
course.  He  moulded  his  share  of  that  intercourse  accordingly. 
His  scrupulous  and  delicate  politeness  made  it  always  his  aim 
to  render  others  easy  and  comfortable  in  his  presence.  His 
first  thought  on  meeting  with  them  seemed  to  be  —  what  subjects 
of  conversation  would  be  most  familiar  to  their  thoughts,  and 
most  consonant  to  their  feelings.  He  never  introduced  a  sub 
ject  merely  because  it  was  one  with  which  he  was  most  at  home, 
or  on  which  he  could  best  exhibit  his  talents,  or  parade  his 
information.  With  a  clergyman  or  lady,  he  never  introduced 
party  politics  or  military  science.  Having  led  the  conversa 
tion,  with  polite  deference  to  that  topic  upon  which  his  guest 
seemed  best  fitted  to  shine,  he  became  usually  an  attentive  but 
almost  silent  listener,  and  made  no  disclosure  of  his  own  stores 
of  knowledge,  or  of  profound  and  original  reflections  on  the 
same  subject ;  although  they  were  often  far  more  complete  than 
those  of  the  person  whom  ho  thus  accepted  as  an  instructor. 
And  had  not  subsequent  facts  evinced  his  superiorit}7,  his  ac 
quaintance  would  have  felt  it  almost  incredible  that  one  who 
was  so  well  qualified  to  speak  with  confidence,  should  so  entirely 
suppress  the  desire  to  speak.  Thus  many  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  has  been  led  by  him  to  speak  on  ethical,  ecclesiastical, 
or  theological  subjects,  and  has  carried  away  the  impression 
that  the  modest  soldier,  although  almost  ignorant  of  the  alpha 
bets  of  those  sciences,  had  at  least  the  merit  of. an  earnest 
appetite  for  the  knowledge  of  them,  when  in  truth  Jackson  had 
read  as  much  upon  them  as  he  had,  and  with  more  close  atten 
tion,  and  possessed  more  matured  opinions  concerning  them, 
The  young  person  of  literary  tastes  would  be  led  to  talk  of  the 
British  classics,  or  the  great  writers  of  romance,  and  would 
leave  him  with  the  belief  that  he  was  innocent  of  all  classical 
reading,  except  the  great  masters  of  holy  writ;  for  his  honesty 


SOCIETY   IN  WHICH   HE  MOVED.  81 

was  so  strict,  that  if  his  knowledge  of  any  author  or  literary 
fact  were  taken  for  granted,  he  would  never  rest  in  a  tacit  acqui 
escence,  but  would  stop  his  interlocutor  to  undeceive  him;  by 
declaring  his  ignorance.  Yet,  while  his  feeble  eye-sight  and 
conscientious  improvement  of  time  had  forbidden  a  promiscuous 
course  of  literary  reading,  he  had  studied  the  most  important 
poets  and  historians  with  far  more  thorough  judgment  and  taste 
than  he  permitted  his  young  friends  to  divine. 

In  the  sphere  which  of  right  belonged  to  him,  he  rarely  if  ever 
asked  advice.  No  man  knew  his  proper  place  better,  or  held  it 
more  tenaciously ;  and  no  man  ever  accorded  this  right  to  others 
more  promptly  or  scrupulously.  As  a  member  and  officer  of 
the  Church,  he  was  eminently  deferential  to  his  pastor,  as  his 
superior  officer.  But,  as  a  commander  in  camp,  he  would  no 
more  defer  to  the  judgment  of  that  pastor,  than  to  that  of  the 
humblest  of  his  own  soldiers. 

Americans  being  inordinately  given  to  speech-making  —  an 
art  which  has  acquired  importance  from  their  popular  institu 
tions  —  have  set  an  overweening  value  upon  eloquence  as  a  test 
of  ability ;  but  Jackson  professed  to  be  no  talker.  He  had  no 
peculiar  gift  for  teaching ;  yet  teaching  was,  at  Lexington,  his 
profession.  In  finding  a  solution  of  the  erroneous  estimate  of 
Jackson  to  which  we  have  referred,  something  is  also  to  be 
attributed  to  the  character  of  the  little  society  in  which  he 
moved.  It  was  cultivated,  but  limited  in  extent ;  and,  accord 
ingly,  it  had  its  own  closely-defined  standard,  by  comparison 
with  which  every  man  was  tried.  In  a  society  more  cosmopol 
itan,  such  characters  as  Jackson  are  less  apt  to  be  misappre 
hended,  because  it  consists  not  of  one,  but  of  many  coteries,  and 
because  contact  with  diversified  forms  of  talent  and  cultivation, 
gives  breadth  and  tolerance  to  the  views.  This  is  but  saying, 
in  substance,  what  the  voice  of  Fame  has  since  pronounced,  that 
11 


82  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.- GENERAL   JACKSON. 

the  wider  the  arena  on  which  he  acted,  the  greater  his  capacity 
appeared. 

But  there  were  always  a  few,  and  they  the  most  competent  to 
understand  a  gifted  nature,  who  declared  Jackson  to  be  a  man 
of  mark.  To  these  chosen  intimates  he  unbosomed  himself, 
modestly,  yet  without  reserve.  His  views  of  public  affairs  were 
broad,  and  elevated  far  above  the  scope  of  the  party  journals 
which  assumed  to  dictate  public  opinion.  His  mind  was  one 
which  would  have  made  him  a  subtile  and  profound  jurist.  The 
few  who  attributed  to  him  this  type  of  intellect,  had  their  esti 
mate  fully  sustained,  by  the  manner  in  which  he  discussed  those 
numerous  questions  of  a  judicial  nature  which  claim  the  atten 
tion  of  the  leader  of  great  armies.  In  the  interpretation  of 
orders  and  army  regulations ;  in  the  settlement  of  rank  between 
competing  claimants;  in  the  proceedings  of  courts-martial;  in 
the  discrimination  between  military  and  civil  jurisdiction,  which 
is  often  so  difficult;  his  mind  always  approached  the  question 
from  an  original  point  of  view,  and  rarely  did  it  fail  to  be 
decisive  to  every  attentive  understanding.  But  it  was  especially 
in  the  discussion  of  military  affairs  that  the  mastery  of  his 
genius  appeared.  When  these  topics  were  introduced,  his  mind 
assumed  its  highest  animation,  he  disclosed  a  knowledge  which 
surprised  his  auditors,  and  his  criticisms  were  profound. .  One 
instance  may  be  noted  among  many.  In  the  summer  of  1856, 
he  employed  his  long  vacation  in  a  European  tour,  in  which  he 
visited  England,  France,  and  Switzerland.  During  this  journey 
lie  carefully  examined  the  field  of  Waterloo,  and  traced  out 
upon  it  the  positions  of  the  contending  armies.  When  he 
returned  home,  he  said  that  although  Napoleon  was  the  greatest 
of  commanders,  he  had  committed  an  error  in  selecting  the 
Chateau  of  Hougomont  as  the  vital  point  of  attack  upon  the 
British  line,  it  .should  have  been  the  village  of  Mont  St.  Jean. 


JOINS   PRESBYTERIAN   CHURCH.  83 

This  opinion  has  subsequently  been  corroborated  by  high 
authority  in  the  military  art. 

But  the  most  important  feature  of  Jackson's  character  was 
the  religious ;  and  this  is  the  most  appropriate  topic  for  illustra 
tion  at  this  place,  because  it  was  mainly  developed  at  Lexington. 
His  peculiar  posture  towards  Christianity  upon  coming  there, 
lias  been  described.  He  had  been  baptized,  upon  professign  of 
his  faith,  by  an  Episcopal  clergyman,  but  refused  to  be  consid 
ered  as  committed  to  Episcopacy.  In  this  state  of  opinion  hs 
had  been  admitted,  at  least  once,  to  the  communion  of  the  Lord's 
Supper.  While  his  religious  knowledge  was  defective,  and  his 
Christian  character  consequently  failed  at  that  time  in  symmetry, 
it  was  sincere  and  honest,  and,  from  the  purity  of  his  morals 
and  his  devotional  habits,  it  was  consistent. 

Upon  removing  to  Lexington,  where  the  Christian  people 
were  divided  among  the  Presbyterians,  Episcopalians,  Wesleyan 
Methodists,  and  Baptists,  he  at  first  attended  the  public  worship 
of  all  their  churches  indiscriminately,  listening  with  exemplary 
respect  and  attention.  But  after  a  time  he  discontinued  this 
promiscuous  worship.  The  pastor  of  the  Presbyterians  was  the 
Rev.  William  S.  White,  D.  D.,  a  venerable  man,  who  speedily 
became  so  intimately  related  to  the  religious  life  and  tenderest 
affections  of  the  great  soldier,  that  an  allusion  to  his  devout 
eloquence,  genial  heart,  and  apostolic  piety,  is  unavoidable  in 
this  narrative.  Jackson  sought  an  introduction  to  him  in  the 
autumn  of  1851,  and  very  soon  paid  him  a  confidential  visit  in 
his  study,  to  lay  before  him  his  spiritual  interests.  He  told  him 
the  steps  he  had  taken,  and  declared  his  hope  of  his  acceptance 
with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  but  said  that  he  had 
not  then  been  able  to  determine  with  what  branch  of  the  Church 
to  connect  himself.  Popery  he  had  examined  under  the  most 
favorable  auspices,  and  he  had  been  constrained  to  reject  it  as 


84  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.- GENERAL   JACKSON. 

an  apostasy  from  the  system  of  Holy  Writ.  Of  Episcopacy  lie 
had  learned  something  from  his  friends  Colonel  Taylor  and  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Parks,  whose  religious  principles  and  feelings  he,  to  a 
great  extent,  approved  and  embraced;  but  with  some  of  the 
features  of  that  system  he  was  not  satisfied.  lie  had  given 
equal  consideration  to  the  claims  and  peculiarities  of  other 
branches  of  the  Church.  lie  now,  for  the  first  time,  had  a  fair 
opportunity  to  observe  the  genius  and  working  of  Presbyteri- 
anism  under  its  better  auspices;  and  he  found  its  worship 
congenial  to  his  principles,  and  desired  to  know  more  of  its 
character. 

The  result  of  his  inquiries  was,  that  on  the  22d  of  November, 
1851,  he  was  received,  by  profession  of  his  faith,  as  a  member 
of  that  church.  His  accession  in  that  mode  was  an  avowal  that 
he  came  in,  not  as  one  transferred  from  some  other  denomina 
tion  in  the  visible  church  to  the  Presbyterian,  but  as  a  new 
recruit  from  the  world  without.  He  did  not,  however,  take  this 
step  until  he  had  thoroughly  studied  the  catechisms  and  Confes 
sion  of  Faith,  which  constitute  the  doctrinal  standards  of  that 
church.  To  some  things  embodied  in  these  standards  he  strongly 
objected ;  and  these  objections  he  stated  with  the  utmost  clear 
ness  and  frankness,  not  only  to  the  pastor  but  to  several  intelli 
gent  laymen  of  the  church.  His  chief  difficulty  was  found  in 
the  great  truth  of  God's  absolute  sovereignty,  in  His  purposes 
regarding  the  calling  and  government  of  His  church.  His 
opinions,  at  that  time,  leaned  strongly  to  the  system  known  as 
Arminianism,  nor  were  they  immediately  changed.  Being 
informed,  however,  that  the  Presbyterian  Church  expected  uni 
formity  of  belief  on  these  points,  of  none  but  its  officers,  and 
only  exacted  of  its  private  members  a  profession  of  those  vital 
doctrines  of  redemption,  in  which  all  Christians  agree,  he  pre 
ferred  to  adopt  it  as  his  own.  Many  months  after,  in  conversa- 


HIS   DIFFICULTIES   SOLVED.  85 

tion  with  an  intimate  friend,  he  disclosed  so  serious  a  difficulty 
in  his  views  concerning  the  doctrines  of  God's  decree  and 
sovereign  providence,  that  the  latter  concluded  with  the  half- 
jocular  remark,  —  "  Major,  if  you  have  these  opinions,  you  had 
better  become  a  Methodist."  This  suggestion,  the  intense  hon 
esty  of  his  nature  made  him  take  seriously;  and  he  answered, 
"  If  you  think  so,  then  come  with  me,  and  let  us  see  Dr.  White 
about  it."  They  went  to  the  pastor's  study,  and  had  a  long 
interview,  as  candid  as  it  was  kind.  At  the  end  of  it  the  latter 
remarked,  "  Well,  Major,  although  your  doctrinal  theory  is  not 
in  perfect  accord  with  ours,  yet  in  your  practical  life  you  are  so 
good  a  Presbyterian,  that  I  think  you  may  safely  remain  where 
you  are."  In  this  conclusion  he  acquiesced;  and  it  was  not  very 
long  before  all  his  difficulties  gave  way  before  his  honest,  per 
sistent,  and  prayerful  inquiries.  He  became  one  of  the  firmest 
though  least  bigoted  advocates  of  the  Calvinistic  as  distinguished 
from  the  Arminian  scheme. 

In  these  proceedings,  his  candid  and  eclectic  spirit  was  char 
acteristic,  and  honorable  to  himself,  as  well  as  a  valuable  testi 
mony  to  the  denomination  which  he  selected.  It  would  be  hard 
to  find  a  man  reared  in  a  Christian  country,  more  uncommitted 
than  he  was,  by  education  and  association,  to  any  sectarian 
preference.  His  conscientiousness  would  not  permft  him  to 
decide  the  matter  as  so  many  do,  by  the  accidents  of  social 
relations,  convenience,  or  taste.  He  made  his  church  connection 
the  subject  of  deliberate  comparison,  serious  stud}',  and  prayer ; 
and  what  Christian  can  justify  himself  for  acting  in  any  other 
way  ?  It  may  be  assumed,  therefore,  that  Jackson's  conclusion 
was  dispassionate,  and  that  he  believed  it  to  be  the  result  of  the 
force  of  truth.  To  make  this  remark  in  an  aggressive  party 
spirit  against  other  denominations  which  Jackson  passed  over, 
in  selecting  the  Presbyterian,  would  be  most  inconsistent  with 


86  LIFE   OP    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON". 

his  liberal  and  just  temper  towards  them  all  j  for  he  was  as 
catholic  in  his  heart  as  he  was  decided  in  his  principle.  But  to 
demand  the  suppression  of  this  fact  in  his  life  would  be  yet 
more  invidious  on  the  other  hand.  That  would  be  an  extrava 
gant  temper  indeed  which  would  impose,  in  narrating  the  truth, 
a  reserve  which  left  upon  Jackson's  memory  the  implication  that 
he  was  either  not  honest,  or  not  intelligent  in  his  ecclesiastical 
opinions.  It  is  hoped  that  Presbyterians  will  not  be  so  foolish 
as  to  claim  that  all  the  good  and  great  are  of  their  communion, 
or  to  hold  that  its  true  honor  depends  upon  man,  however 
exalted  he  may  be. 

It  may  be  safely  declared,  that,  from  the  beginning,  Jack 
son's  religious  character  was  strictly  sincere,  and  consciennous, 
above  that  of  most  Christians.  This  was  a  trait  to  be  expected 
from  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  a  nature  so  decided 
in  temper  and  clear  in  judgment  as  his.  But  his  opinions 
concerning  Christian  duties  were  not  wholly  free  from  defect. 
It  would  have  been  wonderful  indeed  if  they  had  been  perfectly 
correct,  when  he  was  reared  with  so  little  instruction,  and  when 
his  manhood  had  been  moulded  under  the  very  peculiar  moral 
influences  of  the  military  caste.  But  his  exactness  in  perform 
ing  what  he  perceived  to  be  his  duty,  was  always  the  same ; 
some  things  which  he  afterwards  saw  to  be  obligatory,  he  had 
at  first  failed  to  see  in  this  light.  His  aspirations  for  honor 
able  fame  were  at  first  less  chastened  than  became  a  saint. 
His  deliberately  expressed  feelings  concerning  the  resenting  of 
injuries,  were  inconsistent  with  those  inculcated  by  the  law 
of  love,  as  'understood  by  the  best  Christians.  While  his  con 
viction  of  the  sacredness  of  the  Sabbath  was,  from  the  begin 
ning,  unusually  clear,  his  interpretation  of  the  exceptions  made 
for  "  works  of  necessity  "  differed  somewhat  from  those  current 
among  evangelical  Christians.  But  never  was  the  healthy 


STRICTNESS    OF    CONSCIENCE.  87 

and  cleansing  influence  of  a  right  conscience  over  the  under 
standing,  more  clearly  displayed  than  in  him.  The  head  could 
not  long  remain  misguided,  when  presided  over  by  so  guileless 
a  heart.  He  very  soon  attained  the  most  firm  and  distinct 
perceptions  of  duty,  which  differed  usually  from  those  of  the 
great  body  of  God's  best  people,  only  in  being  more  strict. 
One  of  the  most  marked  traits  of  his  religious  character  then, 
was  conscientiousness.  It  ruled  in  every  act  and  word;  in 
things  great,  and  things  minute ;  in  his  social  relations,  and  his 
most  unrestrained  remarks ;  in  the  regulation  of  his  appetites ; 
in  his  observance  of  the  courtesies  of  life ;  in  the  disposition  of 
his  time  and  money.  Duty  was  with  him  the  ever  present  and 
supreme  sentiment.  Such  was  his  dread  of  its  violation,  that 
no  sin  appeared  to  him  small ;  and  the  distinction  between  great 
and  little  obligations,  which  most  Christians  make  the  pretext 
for  a  certain  remissness  of  conduct,  seemed  scarcely  to  have  any 
place  in  his  mind.  To  him,  all  duties  were  great,  however 
trivial  the  affairs  about  which  they  were  concerned,  in  human 
judgment.  The  prominent  trait  of  his  mind  was  the  sentiment 
of  reverence  directed  supremely  to  God,  as  the  standard  of 
perfection,  the  rightful  source  of  all  authority,  and  the  embodi 
ment  of  infinite  greatness.  It  was  this  sentiment,  in  its  lower 
aspects,  which  constituted  his  remarkable  spirit  of  subordination. 
As  God's  nature  and  will  were  to  him  the  standard  of  that 
which  is  right,  and  the  fountain-head  of  obligation,  so,  whenever 
he  found  a  fellow-creature  clothed  by  the  sanction  of  right,  with 
legitimate  authority  over  his  conscience,  he  honored  and  obeyed 
him  within  his  proper  sphere,  as  a  bearer  of  a  delegated  portion 
of  the  majesty  of  heaven ;  and  his  respect  became  a  religious 
sentiment.  Hence  as  a  soldier  no  man  was  so  prompt  and 
exact  in  his  military  obedience ;  as  a  citizen  none  cherished  so 
sacred  a  reverence  for  law,  and  for  the  offices  of  its  magistrates 


88  LIFE  OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

As  a  Christian  layman,  he  honored  and  obeyed  the  pastor  who 
had  care  of  souls ;  and,  while  there  was  no  man  so  little  priest- 
ridden,  there  was  none  who  so  punctually  paid  to  the  ministers 
of  religion,  the  captains  in  God's  sacramental  host,  however 
humble  in  person  and  talents,  deference  for  their  work's  sake. 

Instances  of  his  conscientiousness  have  already  been  given, 
but  many  others  may  be  added.  His  convictions  of  the  sin 
committed  by  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  in  the 
unnecessary  transmission  of  mails,  and  the  consequent  imposition 
of  secular  labor  on  the  Sabbath  day,  upon  a  multitude  of  per 
sons,  were  singularly  strong.  Llis  position  was,  that  if  no  one 
would  avail  himself  of  these  Sunday  mails,  save  in  cases  of  true 
and  unavoidable  necessity,  the  letters  carried  would  be  so  few 
that  the  sinful  custom  would  speedily  be  arrested,  and  the  guilt 
and  mischief  prevented.  Hence,  he  argued,  that  as  every  man 
is  bound  to  do  whatever  is  practicable  and  lawful  for  him  to  do, 
to  prevent  the  commission  of  sin,  he  who  posted  or  received 
letters  on  the  Sabbath  day,  or  even  sent  a  letter  which  would 
occupy  that  day  in  travelling,  was  responsible  for  a  part  of  the 
guilt.  It  was  of  no  avail  to  reply  to  him,  that  this  self-denial 
on  the  part  of  one  Christian  would  not  close  a  single  post-office, 
nor  arrest  a  single  mail-coach  in  the  whole  country.  His 
answer  was,  that  unless  some  Christians  would  begin  singly  to 
practise  their  exact  duty,  and  thus  set  the  proper  example,  the 
reform  would  never  be  begun ;  that  his  responsibility  was  to  see 
to  it  that  he,  at  least,  was  not  particeps  criminis ;  and  that 
whether  others  would  co-operate,  was  their  concern,  not  his. 
Hence,  not  only  did  he  persistently  refuse  to  visit  the  post-office 
on  the  Sabbath  day,  to  leave  or  receive  a  letter,  but  he  would 
not  post  a  letter  on  Saturday  or  Friday  which,  in  regular  course 
of  transmission,  must  be  travelling  on  Sunday,  except  in  cases 
of  high  necessity.  And  believing,  as  he  did,  in  the  special 


VIEW   OF   SABBATH  MAILS.  89 

superintendence  of  Providence  over  all  affairs,  and  His  favor 
able  oversight  of  the  concerns  of  those  who  live  in  His  fear,  he 
delighted  to  recount  the  fact,  that  God  had  always  protected  him 
and  his  affairs  in  this  particular,  so  that  he  had  never  suffered 
any  loss  or  real  inconvenience  by  these  self-imposed  delays. 
One  instance  he  related  with  peculiar  satisfaction.  It  was,  that 
proceeding  on  the  Sabbath  day  to  Divine  worship  with  a  Chris 
tian  associate,  his  friend  proposed  to  apply  at  the  post-office  for 
his  letters,  on  the  plea  that  there  was  probably  a  letter  from  a 
dear  relative,  whose  health  was  in  a  most  critical  state,  and 
might,  for  aught  he  knew,  demand  his  immediate  aid.  But  he 
dissuaded  him  by  the  argument,  that  the  necessity  for  departing 
in  this  from  the  Sabbath  rest  was  not  known,  but  only  suspected. 
They  went  together  to  church,  and  enjoyed  a  peaceful  day.  On 
the  morrow  it  was  ascertained  there  was  a  letter  to  his  friend,* 
from  his  afflicted  relative,  announcing  a  most  alarming  state  of 
disease ;  but  there  was  also  a  later  one,  arrived  that  day,  cor 
recting  all  the  grounds  of  distress,  and  stating  that  the  health 
of  the  sufferer  was  restored.  "  Now/'  said  Jackson,  "  had  my 
friend  causelessly  dishonored  the  Sabbath,  he  would  have  suf 
fered  a  day  of  harrowing  anxiety,  which  the  next  day's  news 
would  have  shown  utterly  groundless ;  but  God  rewarded  him 
for  his  obedience,  by  mercifully  shielding  him  from  this  gratuitous 
suffering:  He  sent  him  the  antidote  along  with  the  pain." 

He  always  acted  on  the  principle  that  he  was  as  really  bound 
to  report  the  condition  of  himself  and  his  family  to  his  pastor, 
as  the  latter  was  to  minister  to  their  spiritual  wants.  In  passing 
through  several  seasons  of  domestic  sorrow,  he  called  for  his 
instructions  and  sympathy  with  equal  delicacy  and  promptitude. 
Again,  he  called  one  evening  to  say  to  Dr.  White,  that  in  the 
sermon  preached  the  preceding  Sabbath,  he  had  not  been  able 
to  discover  whether  the  discussion  of  a  certain  duty,  was  to  be 
12 


90  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

regarded  in  the  light  of  mere  advice,  or  as  authoritative.  If  it 
was  the  former;  he  was  not  clear  that  he  should  regard  the  duty 
as  obligatory  on  him ;  but  if  the  latter,  then  whatever  his  per 
sonal  preferences  might  be,  he  should  feel  bound  to  comply  with 
it,  inasmuch  as  he  could  not  plead  conscience  against  doing  it. 
Thus  his  pastor  was  to  him  the  spiritual  officer,  under  whose 
"orders  "  he  was,  and  whom  he  therefore  felt  bound  to  obey,  in 
all  his  admissible  commands,  for  the  sake  of  the  authority  and 
discipline  of  the  spiritual  host. 

He  engaged  one  clay,  with  a  Christian  friend,  in  a  conversa 
tion  on  the  Hebrews'  system  of  religious  oblations,  and  was 
much  interested  in  the  assertion  that,  while  the  tithe  was  no 
longer  enjoined,  by  express  precept,  on  God's  people  under  the 
new  dispensation,  the  usage  of  worshipping  God  with  stated 
"offerings,  of  our  substance  was  in  no  degree  abrogated;  and 
that  the  tenth  was  probably,  in  most  cases,  a  suitable  proportion 
to  be  self-imposed  by  Christians,  for  this  voluntary  thank-offering. 
After  much  inquiry  and  friendly  discussion,  Jackson  closed  the 
conversation.  The  next  day,  on  meeting  his  friend,  he  said  that 
he  had  convinced  him  of  a  duty,  not  hitherto  as  fully  understood 
as  it  should  have  been;  and,  with  his  usual  courtesy,  thanked 
him  for  the  benefit  thus  conferred.  Thenceforward  he  scrupu 
lously  gave  a  tenth  of  his  whole  income  to  charitable  uses  (until 
he  adopted  a  greatly  enlarged  ratio). 

The  Presbyterians  and  other  evangelical  churches  in  Virginia, 
have  long  had  the  usage  of  meeting  about  the  middle  of  the 
week  in  a  social  assemblage,  under  the  superintendence  of  the 
pastor,  for  the  especial  purposes  of  concerted  prayer  and  praise. 
This  custom  has  had  the  happiest  effects,  in  promoting  devo 
tional  habits,  and  fraternity  and  sympathy,  among  the  Christian 
people.  Jackson  was,  of  course,  from  the  beginning,  the  most 
punctual  of  attendants  on  these  meetings.  The  prayers  were 


HE   PRAYS   IN   PUBLIC.  91 

usually  offered,  under  the  pastor's  direction,  by  the  elders  of 
the  church,  or  other  experienced  Christians.  Dr.  White  took 
occasion,  in  his  Sabbath  instructions,"-to  enforce  the  advantages 
of  these  meetings,  and  said  something  of  the  duty  of  those  who 
could  appropriately  lead  the  devotions  of  others,  to  render  their 
aid  in  that  way,  overcoming,  if  necessary,  false  shame.  In  the 
course  of  the  week,  Jackson  called  to  ask  him  if  he  thought  him 
one  of  the  persons  to  whom  the  latter  exhortation  was  applica 
ble.  He  proceeded  to  say  that  he  was  unused  to  all  forms  of 
continuous  public  speaking ;  that  his  embarrassment  was  ex 
treme,  especially  upon  so  sacred  a  topic,  in  expressing  himself 
before  a  crowd ;  and  that  he  had  therefore  doubted  whether  it 
was  for  edification  for  him  to  attempt  the  leading  of  others  at 
the  throne  of  grace.  Yet,  he  knew  that,  inasmuch  as  these 
concerts  of  prayer  were  of  eminent  utility,  the  general  duty  of 
participating  in  their  exercises  was  indisputable,  as  to  Christian 
heads  of  families,  and  other  suitable  persons.  "  You,"  he  said, 
"  are  my  pastor,  and  the  spiritual  guide  of  the  church  j  and  if 
you  think  it  my  duty,  then  I  shall  waive  my  reluctance,  and 
make  the  effort  to  lead  in  prayer,  however  painful."  He  closed 
by  authorizing  him  to  call  upon  him  for  that  service,  if  he 
thought  proper.  And  his  diffidence  in  all  this  was  so  clearly 
unaffected,  that  no  mortal  could  have  mistaken  it.  After  a 
time,  the  pastor  called  upon  him  to  pray.  He  obeyed,  but  with 
an  embarrassment  so  great,  that  the  service  was  almost  as 
painful  to  his  brethren  as  it  obviously  was  to  himself.  The 
invitation  was  not  repeated  for  a  number  of  weeks,  when, 
meeting  Dr.  White,  he  noted  that  fact,  and  indicated  that  he 
supposed  the  motive  for  sparing  him  was  an  unwillingness  to 
inflict  distress  through  his  excessive  diffidence.  The  good 
minister  could  not  but  admit  that  he  had  thought  it  best  not  to 
exact  so  painful  a  duty  of  him,  lest  his  comfort  in  the  meeting 


92  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON". 

'  should  be  seriously  marred.  "  Yes/;  said  Jackson,  "  but  my 
comfort  or  discomfort  is  not  the  question  j  if  it  is  my  duty  to 
lead  my  brethren  in  prayer,  then  I  must  persevere  in  it,  until  I 
learn  to  do  it  aright;  and  I  wish  you  to  discard  all  considera 
tion  for  my  feelings  in  the  matter."  He  was  again  called  on ; 
he  succeeded  in  curbing  his  agitation  in  a  good  degree  •  and, 
after  a  time,  became  as  eminent  for  the  gift,  as  lie  was  for  the 
grace  of  prayer. 

Another  instance  of  his  courage  in  doing  good  was  given 
soon  after  he  connected  himself  with  the  Presbyterian  Church. 
Visiting  his  native  country  during  a  vacation,  he  perceived  that 
infidel  opinions  were  prevalent  among  many,  and  had  infected 
several  of  his  friends  and  relatives.  He  was  anxious  to  do 
something  to  remedy  this  evil,  but  knew  not  what  was  best. 
He  held  private  conversations  with  some,  and  gave  tracts  to 
others,  but  this  only  increased  his  anxiety  to  attempt  something 
on  a  larger  scale.  He  accordingly  determined  to  announce  a 
brief  course  of  public  lectures  on  the  evidences  of  Christianity, 
notwithstanding  his  diffidence  and  inexperience  as  a  public 
speaker.  They  were  delivered  in  a  church  in  the  village  of 
Beverley,  Randolph  county,  where  his  only  sister  resided ;  and 
as  he  declared,  his  success  greatly  exceeded  his  expectations. 
It  may  be  supposed  that  curiosity  to  see  the  novel  spectacle  of 
the  young  soldier  and  professor  discussing  such  a  theme, 
attracted  many.  But  his  argument  was  declared  to  be  excellent, 
and  his  manner  far  from  bad,  by  the  most  competent  hearers. 
Doubtless  the  impression  of  his  evident  modesty,  sincerity,  and 
courage,  was  more  valuable  than  would  have  been  the  most 
learned  discussion  from  a  professed  divine.  The  interest 
aroused  in  his  mind  concerning  the  evidences  of  Christianity 
led  him,  on  his  return  to  Lexington,  to  ask  of  Dr.  White  leave 
to  collect  a  class  of  young  men  for  the  study  of  this  subject  in 


SABBATH-SCHOOL   FOR  NEGROES.  93 

connexion  with  the  Sabbath  school.  This  class  he  taught  with 
his  accustomed  earnestness  and  fidelity,  and  several  of  them 
served  under  him  as  soldiers  in  the  war. 

He  next  proposed  to  gather  the  African  slaves  of  the  village 
in  the  afternoon  of  the  Sabbath,  and  speedily  he  had  a  flourish 
ing  school  of  eighty  or  a  hundred  pupils,  with  twelve  teachers; 
the  latter  of  whom  were  recruited  from  among  the  educated 
ladies  and  gentlemen  of  the  place.  This  he  continued  to  teach 
successfully  from  1855  until  the  spring  of  1861;  when  he 
reluctantly  left  it  to  enter  the  army.  And  to  the  end  of  his 
life,  he  inquired  of  every  visitor  at  the  camp  from  his  church  at 
home,  how  his  black  Sabbath-school  was  progressing;  and  if  tho 
answer  was  favorable,  he  did  not  fail  to  express  his  gratitude. 
But  no  other  person  could  sustain  it  as  efficiently  as  he  did. 
His  health  required  him  to  spend  most  of  his  vacations  in 
journeys ;  and,  upon  setting  out,  he  was  accustomed  to  leave  his 
school  in  the  charge  of  some  'member  of  the  church,  for  the 
time.  On  his  return,  he  usually  found  it  dwindled  from  eighty 
to  fifty  scholars ;  but  his  efforts  soon  restored  it  to  its  wonted 
prosperity.  His  method  was  to  make  the  sessions  extremely 
short,  continuing  from  three  P.  M.  to  a  quarter  to  four  p.  M.  At 
a  quarter  to  three  the  bell  was  rung,  and  precisely  at  three 
o'clock  he  began.  The  exercises  were  first,  singing  and  prayer, 
and  then  a  brief,  pointed,  and  perspicuous  exposition  of  an 
assigned  passage  of  the  Scriptures,  addressed  by  him  to  the 
whole  school.  The  several  teachers  then  took  charge  of  their 
classes,  and  devoted  the  rest  of  the  session  to  teaching  them 
orally  the  Shorter  Catechism,  or  some  other  suitable  formula  of 
truth.  The  exercises  ended  with  the  singing  of  a  hymn,  previ 
ously  committed  to  memory,  by  the  whole  school,  and  a  short 
prayer.  Once  a  month  he  made  a  report  of  the  punctuality  and 
demeanor  of  each  pupil,  calling  in  person  at  the  houses  of  their 


94  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

masters  for  tins  purpose;  and  if  any  servant  was  frequently 
absent  or  inattentive,  he  was  sure  to  inquire  into  the  cause 
during  the  week. 

The  African  character  is  ever  dilatory.  In  his  native  jungle, 
the  negro  has  no  conception  whatever  of  the  value  of  time ;  and 
in  his  civilized  state,  he  retains  too  much  of  this  weakness. 
Hence,  at  all  religious  meetings  which  they  frequent,  they  are 
usually  found  arriving  at  every  moment,  from  the  beginning  to 
the  very  close.  Jackson  speedily  began  to  experience  the  same 
annoyance,  and  the  lack  of  punctuality  was  unhappily  counte 
nanced  by  some  of  his  teachers.  He  gave  notice  that  the  bell 
would  ring  the  next  Sabbath  a  quarter  of  an  hour  before  the 
opening  as  usual,  and  that  when  the  assigned  moment  arrived, 
he  should  lock  the  doors  and  proceed  immediately  to  the  duties 
of  the  school.  Accordingly,  the  next  Sunday,  precisely  at  three 
o'clock,  he  locked  the  doors  and  commenced.  Knocks  were 
unheeded ;  and  when,  at  the  conclusion,  the  doors  were  opened, 
there  was  found  a  group  in  the  street,  consisting  of  a  number 
of  servants  and  a  few  mortified-looking  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
whom  he  saluted  as  he  passed  on  his  way  with  his  customary 
politeness.  There  was  no  more  lack  of  punctuality. 

While  thus  exacting  in  his  discipline  of  the  school,  he  was 
rendered  extremely  popular  among  all  the  more  serious  servants 
by  these  labors  for  their  good.  He  was  indeed  the  black  man's 
friend.  His  prayers  were  so  attractive  to  them,  that  a  number 
of  those  living  in  his  quarter  of  the  town,  petitioned  to  be 
admitted -on  Sabbath  nights,  along  with  his  own  servants,  to  his 
evening  domestic  worship.  Before  making  them  an  answer,  he 
called  on  Dr.  White  and  stated  their  request  to  him,  asking  his 
sanction,  and  declaring  that  the  assent  of  the  masters  of  those 
servants  must,  of  course,  be  also  a  necessary  condition  of  his 


A  CHRISTIAN   MASTER.  95 

gratifying  them.  The  approbation  of  the  pastor  and  the 
masters  was  gladly  given. 

To  his  own  slaves,  he  was  a  methodical  and  exact,  but  con 
scientious  master.  Absolute  obedience  was  the  rule  of  his 
household;  and  if  he  found  chastisement  was  necessary  to 
secure  this,  it  was  faithfully  administered.  He  required  all  his 
slaves  to  attend  the  domestic  worship  of  his  family  morning  and 
evening;  and  succeeded,  where  so  many  Christian  masters  have 
found  entire  success  apparently  impossible,  in  securing  the 
presence  of  every  one.  After  his  household  was  scattered  by 
his  absence  in  the  camp,  he'found  time  to  write  to  those  to  whom 
his  servants  were  hired,  inquiring  into  their  spiritual  state, 
urging  their  employers  to  see  that  they  attended  church  regu 
larly,  and  giving  minute  directions  for  their  welfare.  On  hear 
ing  of  the  death  of  one  of  his  female  servants,  he  wrote 
expressing  his  gratitude  for  the  attentions  bestowed  upon  her 
in  her  illness  and  at  her  burial. 

It  may  be  accepted  as  a  significant  dispensation  of  Provi 
dence,  that  Jackson,  the  best  type  of  the  Christian  master  in 
the  South,  should  be  made  the  hero  of  this  war  for  Southern 
independence.  The  people  of  the  Southern  States  will  cheerfully 
consent  that  this  holy  man,  with  his  strong  convictions  of  the 
righteousness  and  beneficence  of  their  form  of  society,  may  stand 
forth  to  the  world  as  their  exemplar.  He  had  no  pretensions 
to  a  righteousness  more  righteous  than  that  of  prophets,  apostles, 
and  Jesus  Christ.  His  understanding  was  too  honest  to  profess 
belief  in  God's  inspired  Word,  and  yet  hold  that  relation  to  be 
a  sinful  one,  which  Moses  expressly  allowed  and  legislated  for; 
which  the  Bible  saints  sustained  to  their  fellow-men;  which  the 
Redeemer  left  prominent  and  unrepealcd  amidst  his  churches,  as 
well  as  in  secular  society ;  and  which  the  apostles  continued  to 
sanction,  by  admitting  those  who  held  it,  without  any  disclaimer, 


96  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

or  pledge  of  reformation  or  repentance,  to  church  membership 
and  church  office.  His  conscience  was  too  sensitive  to  tolerate 
known  sin;  at  any  prompting  of  conscience  or  interest.  It  will 
be  a  difficult  problem  for  those  who  revile  us,  if  they  remember 
how  gregarious  vices  are,  and  how  surely  even  a  sin  of  ignorance 
pollutes  the  soul  and  grieves  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  explain  how 
this  most  decided  of  slaveholders  came  to  be  so  eminent  for 
sanctitjr,  and  so  richly  crowned  with  the  noblest  graces  and  joys 
which  God  ever  conferred  on  man.  Especially,  let  the  happy 
condition  which  the  benevolence  of  such  masters  confers  on  their 
servants,  be  contrasted  with  that  degradation  and  ruin  to  which 
our  enemies  intentionally  consign  them.  Southern  masters,  with 
very  few  exceptions,  provide  generously  for  the  welfare  of  their 
servants,  at  the  prompting  of  affection,  conscience,  self-respect, 
and  interest,  while  they  exact  only  a  moderate  labor;  and  many 
of  them,  like  Jackson,  strive  conscientiously  for  their  spiritual 
good.  Northern  anti-slavery  men,  under  the  pretence  to  the 
negro  of  being  his  disinterested  liberator,  seduce  him  from  his 
protector,  and  leave  him,  without  provision  for  body  or  soul, 
either  to  perish  in  pestilential  indolence,  or  to  wear  out  his 
frame  in  the  severest  toils,  in  entrenchments  or  factories,  under 
the  compulsion  not  of  stripes,  but  of  a  bayonet  in  the  hands  of 
a  brutal  foreign  mercenary.  Not  seldom  does  this  hypocrisy 
find  its  candid  and  exact  expression,  in  the  conduct  of  the  more 
shameless  of  our  invaders;  when  the  same  men,  after  wheedling 
the  servants  with  fine  promises,  pretended  sympathies,  and  the 
terms  "  brother,  sister,"  pass  from  their  cabins  to  the  master's 
dwelling,  to  insult  him  with  the  declaration  that  they  despise  the 
Africans  as  much  as  they  hate  him,  and  have  no  other  purpose 
in  seducing  them  from  his  service  except  to  t:  humble  his  Vir 
ginian  aristocracy." 

On  the  26th  of  December;  1857,  Major  Jackson  was  uuani- 


JACKSON   A  DEACON.  97 

mously  elected  a  deacon  of  his  church.  The  reader  will  bear  in 
mind  that  the  Presbyterians,  following  what  they  believe  to  be 
the  primitive  institute  of  the  Apostles,  assign  the  care  of  souls 
to  the  order  of  Presbyters  alone,  of  whom  some  rule  only,  and 
some  also  labor  in  word  and  doctrine ;  while  the  Deacon's  func 
tion  is  "  to  serve  tables,"  or,  in  other  words,  to  collect  and  dis 
burse  the  money  and  alms  of  the  church,  and  to  distribute  to  the 
destitute.  This  humble  office  Jackson  promptly  assumed  at  the 
call  of  his  brethren,  and  fulfilled  its  duties  with  his  accustomed 
fidelity.  He  was  the  best  deacon  the  church  had.  The  system 
of  that  congregation  concerning  almsgiving  was  unusually  com 
plete.  Monthly,  the  deacons  met  for  consultation,  and  the  distri 
bution  of  their  labors.  Every  two  months,  a  collection  was 
solicited  from  all  the  people  for  some  charitable  or  pious  use ; 
and  for  this  purpose,  to  each  deacon  was  allotted  a  district,  in 
which  he  visited  personally  every  adult  worshipper,  or  at  least 
every  householder,  at  his  own  home,  explained  the  object  to  be 
furthered,  and  received  the  gifts  of  the  benevolent.  At  the 
monthly  meetings,  Jackson  was  always  present.  His  idea  of  the 
duty  was  aptly  expressed  by  his  reply  to  a  brother  deacon,  who 
excused  his  absence  by  saying  that  he  had  not  time  to  attend. 
"I  sec  not."  said  he,  "how,  at  that  hour,  we  can  possibly  lack 
time  for  this  meeting,  or  can  have  time  for  anything  else,  seeing 
it  is  set  apart  for  this  business."  His  regularity  in  calling  upon 
the  pastor  to  relate  the  result  of  his  diaconal  labors,  or,  in  his 
phrase,  "  to  report,"  was  perfectly  military.  Indeed  his  concep 
tion  of  the  matter  was,  that  he  came  to  him,  as  his  superior,  for  his 
orders.  At  one  collection  the  gifts  were  solicited  for  the  Ameri 
can  Bible  Society,  and  Jackson  sallied  forth,  armed  with  the  list 
of  names  for  his  district,  furnished  him  by  the  clerk  of  the  con 
gregation.  When  he  came  to  the  pastor  to  report,  he  had  a 
number  of  additional  names  written  in  pencil-marks  at  the  foot 

13 


98  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

of  his  list,  with  small  sums  opposite  to  them.  "  What  are  these  ?" 
asked  the  good  Doctor.  " Those  at  the  top,"  said  Jackson,  "are 
your  regulars,  and  those  below  are  my  militia."  On  examining 
the  names,  they  were  found  to  be  those  of  the  free  blacks  of  the 
quarters,  all  of  whom  he  had  visited  in  their  humble  dwellings, 
and  encouraged  to  give  a  pittance  of  their  earnings  to  print 
Bibles.  He  argued  that  these  small  sums  were  better  spent  thus 
than  in  drink  or  tobacco ;  that  the  giving  of  them  would  elevate 
their  self-respect,  and  enhance  their  own  interest  in  the  Holy 
Book;  and  that  they  being  indebted  to  it  as  well  as  others, 
«hould  be  taught  to  help  in  diffusing  it. 

There  was  another  trait  of  his  religious  character  so  conspic 
uous,  that  it  demands  here  full  illustration,  —  his  constant  recog 
nition  of  a  particular  Providence.  No  man  ever  lived  who 
seemed  to  have  a  more  practical  and  living  sense  of  this  truth  of 
Christianity.  He  earned,  indeed,  thereby,  the  title  of  supersti 
tious,  from  some  of  the  unthinking,  and  of  fatalist  from  others. 
But  he  was  neither :  his  belief  in  the  control  of  Divine  Providence 
was  most  rational  and  scriptural.  The  only  difference  between 
him  and  other  enlightened  Christians  here  was,  that  his  faith 
was  "the  substance  of  things  anticipated,  and  the  evidence  of 
things  not  seen;"  while  theirs  is,  so  largely,  an  impractical 
theory.  That  doctrine  is,  that  God's  special  providence  is  over 
all  his  creatures  and  all  their  actions,  to  uphold  and  govern 
them ;  and  that  it  is  over  His  children  for  their  good  only.  BY 
that  omniscient  and  almighty  control  all  events  are  ordered, 
permitted,  limited,  and  overruled.  There  is  no  creature  so 
great  as  to  resist  its  power,  none  so  minute  as  to  evade  its 
care.  But  yet,  by  a  mode  which  is  perhaps  beyond  the  cogni 
zance  of  the  human  reason,  it  secures  the  action  designed  by 
God's  intelligent  purpose,  from  each  created  agent,  in  strict 
conformity  with  its  nature  and  powers.  The  Christian  doc- 


HIS  BELIEF   IX   PROVIDENCE.  99 

trine  of  Providence  does  not  reduce  the  universe  into  a  pan 
theistic  machine,  with  God  for  the  sole  power  and  only  real 
cause  of  its  every  motion.  It  teaches  that  the  property  which 
creatures  have  of  acting  as  second  causes  is  real,  that  their 
powers  are  actual  powers,  inherent  in  them,  and  not  merely 
seeming;  conferred,  indeed,  by  God,  as  Creator,  and  regulated 
in  each  specific  action  by  his  perpetual  superintendence;  yet, 
when  conferred,  intrinsic  and  efficient  in  the  created  agents, 
whenever  the  suitable  relations  or  conjunctions  for  their  action 
have  place.  And  especially  when  those  creature-agents  are  ra 
tional,  voluntary  spirits,  does  God  by  His  providence  order  the 
rise  of  those  free  purposes  in  them,  which  his  eternal  plan 
includes,  in  strict  conformity  with  their  free  agency. 

The  doctrine  of  Fate  is,  that  all  events,  including  the  acts  of 
free  agents,  are  fixed  by  an  immanent  physical  necessity  in  the 
series  of  causes  and  effects  themselves ;  a  necessity  as  blind  and 
unreasoning  as  the  tendency  of  the  stone  towards  the  earth, 
when  unsupported  from  beneath;  a  necessity  as  much  controll 
ing  the  intelligence  of  God  as  of  creatures;  a  necessity  which 
admits  of  no  modification  of  results  through  the  agency  of 
second  causes,  but  renders  them  inoperative  and  passive  as  the 
mere  stepping-stones  in  the  inevitable  progression.  The  doc 
trine  of  Providence  teaches  that  the  regular,  natural  agency  of 
second  causes  is  sustained,  preserved,  and  regulated  by  the 
power  and  intelligence  of  God,  and  that,  in  and  through  that 
agency,  every  event  is  directed  by  His  most  wise  and  holy  will, 
at  once  according  to  his  plans  and  to  the  laws  of  nature  which 
He  has  ordained.  Fatalism  tends  to  apathy,  to  absolute  inaction  ; 
a  belief  in  the  Providence  of  the  Scriptures,  to  intelligent  and 
hopeful  effort.  It  does  not  overthrow,  but  rather  establishes  the 
agency  of  second  causes ;  for  it  teaches  that  God's  method  and 
rule  of  effectuating  events  only  through  them  (save  in  the  case 


100  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

of  miracles),  is  as  steadfast  as  His  purpose  to  carry  out  His 
decree.  Hence  this  faith  produces  a  combination  of  courageous 
serenity,  with  cheerful  diligence  in  the  use  of  means.  Jackson 
was  as  laborious  as  he  was  trustful,  and  laborious  precisely 
because  he  was  trustful.  Everything  that  preparation,  care, 
forecast,  and  self-sacrificing  toil  could  do  to  prepare  and  earn 
success  he  did.  And  therefore  it  was  that  God,  without  whom 
"the  watchman  waketh  but  in  vain,"  usually  bestowed  success. 
His  belief  in  the  superintendence  of  God  was  equal  to  his  indus 
try.  In  every  blessing  or  calamity  of  private  life,  as  well  as  in 
every  order  or  despatch  announcing  a  victory,  he  was  prompt  to 
ascribe  the  result  to  the  Lord  of  Hosts ;  and  these  brief  devout 
ascriptions  were  with  him  no  unmeaning  formalities.  In  the  very 
flush  of  triumph  he  has  been  known  to  seize  the  juncture  for  the 
earnest  inculcation  of  this  truth  upon  the  minds  of  his  subordi 
nates  ;  and,  in  the  anxieties  of  great  and  critical  moments,  his 
soul  drew  composure  and  assurance  from  it.  Especially  did  he 
love  to  recognize  the  hand  of  God  in  the  results  of  strategy  and 
battles.  While  the  most  pains-taking  of  commanders,  he  well 
knew  that  in  these  great  operations  many  things  must  be  done 
beyond  the  oversight  of  the  commander,  each  of  which  by  the 
manner  of  its  performance  may  absolutely  determine  the  event. 
Hence  when  the  issue  was  according  to  his  prayers,  he  recog 
nized  the  presence  of  an  Eye  more  comprehensive  than  that  of 
any  creature,  and  ascribed  all  wisdom,  power,  and  glory  to  it. 

His  perpetual  recurrence  to  this  special  providence  was  dis 
played  in  his  prayers  for  the  divine  guidance  of  his  own  judg 
ment.  It  was  well  known  that  he  was  accustomed  to  seek  this 
guidance  not  only  in  general  terms,  but  most  directly  and  par 
ticularly  on  specific  occasions.  And  the  frequent  answers  which 
he  seemed  to  receive  to  these  prayers,  suggested  to  the  unreflect 
ing  the  idea  of  his  actual  inspiration. 


DOCTRINE  OF  PROVIDENCE.  101 

He  would  have  modestly  given  an  explanation  less  supersti 
tious,  and  more  scriptural.  Mind  has  its  natural  laws  as  well  as 
matter,  to  be  learned  in  the  same  way,  by  correct  induction  from 
our  observations ;  and  they  are  just  as  regular  in  their  operation 
as  those  of  the  stars,  the  waters,  or  the  vegetable  world.  For 
instance,  conception  follows  conception  in  our  thinking,  by  certain 
laws  of  suggestion,  which  we  ascertain  and  know,  at  least  to  a 
good  degree.  By  another  law,  the  volition  put  forth  upon  a 
conception,  in  the  act  of  spontaneous  attention,  tends  to  fix  and 
brighten  that  conception  before  the  mind,  in  preference  to  any 
other  competing  suggestion,  just  as  regularly  as  sunlight  pro 
motes  chemical  action  in  matter.  Now,  the  very  doctrine  of 
Providence  is,  that  the  God  who  conferred  upon  spiritual  sub 
stances  these  laws  and  powers  of  causation,  as  their  inherent 
properties,  regulates  their  action  in  strict  consistency  with  their 
nature,  with  a  constant  superintendence.  The  mode  may  be 
inscrutable  to  us,  even  as  all  His  workings  in  providence  are ; 
but  the  fact  is  taught  by  the  Scriptures  and  experience,  and  the 
consistency  of  it  with  our  own  reasonable  and  voluntary  nature, 
as  is  assured  to  us  by  our  consciousness.  Now  then,  when  God, 
in  answer  to  prayer,  leaving  the  mind  to  act  strictly  according  to 
all  its  natural  laws,  yet  gives  such  providential  supervision  to  its 
functions,  as  to  order  that  the  judgment  shall,  of  itself,  come  to  a 
prosperous  conclusion,  why  should  men  be  more  incredulous,  or 
suppose  a  more  supernatural  interference,  than  when  God 
answers  the  prayers  of  his  people  with  "fruitful  seasons,  and 
rain  from  heaven,"  through  the  regular  course  of  those  meteoric 
laws,  which  before  brought  drought  and  blight?  No  devout 
reader  of  the  Scriptures  can  refuse  the  conviction  that  Satan,  as 
a  personal  agent,  has  some  mode  consistent  with  the  laws  of 
mind,  by  which  he  often  modifies  the  suggestions  which  arise, 
and  thus  the  free  determinations  of  the  judgment  and  will.  This 


102  LIJE'OF  LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSON. 

fact  assists  us  to  establish,  and  in  part  illustrates,  the  contrasted 
fact  of  God's  providential  concern  in  the  thoughts  and  purposes 
of  the  children  of  men. 

There  was  at  least  one  influence  which  Jackson's  faith  and 
habits  of  prayer  in  this  matter  exercised  upon  his  judgment, 
which  may  be  made  intelligible  to  every  virtuous  mind.  It  was 
the  cause  of  an  intense  sincerity  of  motive.  He  who  goes  before 
the  Searcher  of  hearts  with  petitions  for  His  light  and  guidance, 
can  scarcely  cherish  there  those  corrupt  and  double  purposes 
which  he  knows  must  be  equally  clear  to  His  intelligence  and 
hateful  to  His  holiness.  There  is  then,  an  obvious  natural  in 
fluence  which  makes  the  very  act  of  prayer  as  "the  euphrasy 
and  rue  "  to  purge  the  mental  vision.  But  faith  teaches  us  that 
there  is,  moreover,  a  divine  answer  to  prayer ;  and  in  what  form 
is  the  Christian's  heart  more  familiar  with  this  gracious  power 
from  above  than  in  the  purifying  and  chastening  of  its  affections  ? 
Jackson  was  made  by  God's  Spirit  the  most  disinterested  of 
men,  in  all  his  efforts  to  judge  and  act  aright  in  His  service. 
No  collisions  of  guilty  desire  with  conscience,  no  side-views  of 
selfish  ambition,  no  itchings  of  avarice,  no  sensuality,  no  crav 
ings  for  notoriety,  no  weakness  of  moral  cowardice  remained  to 
disturb  or  jostle  the  steady  adjustments  of  his  judgment.  The 
functions  of  his  understanding  were  actuated  by  one  supreme 
emotion,  the  sentiment  of  duty ;  a  motive-power  as  pure  as  forci 
ble,  and  hence  they  were  almost  perfectly  correct  and  true,  and 
at  the  same  time  full  of  intense  vigor.  His  "  eye  was  single, 
and  his  whole  body  was  full  of  light."  This  is  the  best  expla 
nation  which  can  be  given  of  that  almost  infallible  judgment  in 
practical  affairs,  which  he  never  failed  to  display,  whenever  he 
felt  it  his  duty  to  examine  and  decide.  And  this  refers  his 
greatness  primarily  to  his  Christianity ;  a  solution  which  Jackson 


EFFECT   OF   PRAYEK.  103 

would  have  been  himself  most  prompt  to  offer,  if  his  modesty 
had  permitted  him  to  recognize  greatness  in  himself. 

Prayer  implies  a  Providence.  For  if  God  hath  not  a  present 
means  of  influencing  the  course  of  natural  events,  it  is  a  waste 
of  breath  to  petition  for  His  intervention.  Hence  it  will  be 
anticipated,  that  he  who  was  so  clear  in  his  recognition  of  Prov 
idence  was  also  eminently  a  man  of  prayer.  This  was  one  of 
the  most  striking  traits  of  Jackson's  religious  character.  He 
prayed  much,  he  had  great  faith  in  prayer,  and  took  much  delight 
in  it.  While  his  religion  was  the  least  obtrusive  of  all  men's, 
no  one  could  know  him  and  fail  to  be  impressed  with  the  regu 
larity  of  his  habits  of  private  devotion.  Morning  and  night  he 
bent  before  God  in  secret  prayer,  and  rare  must  be  the  exigency 
which  could  deprive  him  of  this  valued  privilege.  There  was  in 
him  an  unusual  combination  of  courage  and  modesty  in  this  duty. 
If  the  presence  of  others  was  unavoidable,  it  had  no  effect  what 
ever,  be  they  who  they  might,  however  great  or  profane,  to  cause 
him  to  neglect  his  secret  orisons.  Yet,  it  is  presumed,  no  one 
ever  had  the  idea  of  ostentation  suggested  who  witnessed  one  of 
the  sacred  scenes.  He  was  accustomed,  during  the  active  cam 
paigns,  to  live  in  a  common  tent,  like  those  of  the  soldiers. 
Those  who  passed  it  at  early  dawn  and  at  bed-time  were  likely 
to  see  the  shadow  of  his  kneeling  form  cast  upon  the  canvas  by 
the  light  of  his  candle ;  and  the  most  careless  soldier  then  trod 
lightly  and  held  his  breath  with  reverent  awe.  Those  who  were 
sceptical  of  the  sincerity  of  other  men's  prayers,  seemed  to  feel 
that,  when  Jackson  knelt,  the  heavens  came  down  indeed .  into 
communion  with  earth. 

This  spirit  of  prayer  was  manifested  by  the  change  which  it 
wrought  in  his  whole  manner.  Everywhere  else  his  speech  was 
decided  and  curt ;  at  the  throne  of  grace  all  was  different  j  his 
enunciation  was  soft  and  deliberate,  and  his  tones  mellow  and 


104  LIFE    OF    LIFUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

supplicatory.  His  prayers  were  marked  at  once  by  profound 
reverence  and  filial  confidence,  and  abounded  much  in  ascrip 
tions  of  praise  and  thanks,  and  the  breathings  of  devout  affec 
tions  towards  God.  Besides  his  punctual  observance  of  his 
private  and  domestic  devotions,  and  of  the  weekly  meetings  for 
social  prayer,  he  was  accustomed  to  select  from  time  to  time 
some  one  Christian,  with  whom  he  held  stated  seasons  of  devo 
tion,  in  order  to  avail  himself  of  the  promise,  "  that  if  two  of 
you  shall  agree  on  earth,  as  touching  anything  that  they  shall 
ask,  it  shall  be  done  for  them  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 
And  his  partners  in  these  fellowships  were  selected,  not  so  much 
for  their  social  as  for  their  spiritual  attractions.  This  narrative 
would  be  unjust  to  the  truth,  arid  to  the  memory  of  one  of  God's 
most  honored  servants,  if  it  omitted  the  mention  of  the  chief 
instrument  for  cultivating  in  him  this  spirit  of  prayer.  When 
Major  Jackson  became  a  member  of  the  congregation  in  Lex 
ington,  there  was  among  its  presbyters  a  man  of  God,  whose 
memory  yet  smells  sweet  and  blossoms  in  the  dust,  John  B. 
Lyle.  He  was  a  bachelor,  of  middle  age,  well  connected,  but 
of  limited  fortune,  who  devoted  nearly  the  whole  of  his  leisure 
to  the  spiritual  interests  of  his  charge.  He  was  constantly  the 
friend  of  the  afflicted,  the  restorer  of  the  wayward,  the  counsel 
lor  of  the  doubting,  a  true  shepherd  of  the  sheep ;  and  his  inner 
Christian  life  was  as  elevated  as  his  outward  was  active.  To 
him  Jackson  early  learned  to  resort  for  counsel;  for  his  spiritual 
state  was  not,  at  first,  marked  by  that  established  comfort  and 
assurance  which  shed  such  a  sunshine  over  his  latter  years. 
He  confessed  to  Mr.  Lylc  great  spiritual  anxieties,  and  seasons 
of  darkness.  The  good  man  taught  him  that  connexion  between 
hearty  obedience  and  access  to  the  throne  of  grace,  which  is 
declared  by  the  Psalmist  when  he  says:  "If  I  regard  iniquity 
in  my  heart,  the  Lord  will  not  hear  rne."  It  was  largely  due  to 


JACKSON   NO   INDEPENDENT.  105 

his  guidance,  that  Jackson  attained  to  that  thoroughness  which 
marked  all  his  subsequent  Christian  life.  Henceforward,  like 
Joshua  and  Caleb,  "  he  had  another  spirit  with  him,  and  followed 
the  Lord  fully."  His  pious  counsellor  taught  him  by  his  exam 
ple,  by  his  instructions,  and  by  suitable  reading  which  he  placed 
in  his  hands,  to  cherish  a  high  value  of  prayer,  and  to  expect, 
according  to  the  scriptural  warrant,  a  certain  answer  to  it. 

This  prayerfulness  was  a  profound  inward  spirit  yet  more 
than  it  was  an  outward  manifestation.  How  he  compelled  his 
own  diffidence  to  pray  with  others,  under  a  sense  of  duty,  has 
been  described.  But  he  was  never  forward  to  assume  the  lead 
of  others  at  the  throne  of  grace,  where  his  station  did  not 
obviously  make  it  proper.  It  has  been  said  of  him,  that  he  was 
as  often  found  leading  his  men  in  the  prayer-meeting  as  in  the 
field  of  battle ;  and  those  who  knew  not  whereof  they  affirmed, 
have  loved  to  represent  him  as  a  sort  of  Puritan  Independent, 
of  the  school  of  Cromwell,  Harrison,  and  Pride,  assuming  the 
functions  of  a  preacher  among  his  troops.  No  Christian  could 
possibly  be  further  from  all  such  intrusions,  both  in  principle  and 
in  temper.  When  called  on  by  proper  authority  to  lead  his 
brethren  in  social  prayer,  he  always  obeyed.  But  he  loved  best 
to  mingle  with  his  rough  and  hardy  soldiers,  in  the  worship  of 
God,  as  a  simple  lay-worshipper ;  with  them  to  sit  in  the  seat 
of  the  learner,  with  them  to  sing,  with  them  to  kneel,  and  with 
them  to  gather  around  the  Lord's  table.  He  would  not  pro 
nounce  the  blessing  over  the  plain  food  of  his  own  mess-table, 
if  a  clergyman,  or  even  an  older  Christian  than  himself,  were 
present  to  do  it.  His  whole  nature  and  convictions  were  pene 
trated  by  a  reverence  for  all  constituted  authority,  and  for  right 
order  in  Church  and  State ;  the  license  of  Independency  was  at 
least  as  opposed  to  his  tastes  as  the  restrictions  of  Prelacy. 

It  was  in  the  secret  communings  of  his  heart  that  this  spirit  bf 
14 


106  ^IPE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

prayer  was  most  prevalent.  Devotion  was  the  very  breath  of 
his  soul.  Once  only  was  he  led  to  make  a  revelation  of  these 
constant  aspirations,  to  a  Christian  associate  peculiarly  near  to 
him  j  and  his  description  of  his  intercourse  with  God  was  too 
beautiful  and  characteristic  to  be  suppressed.  This  friend  ex 
pressed  to  him  some  embarrassment  in  comprehending  literally 
the  precept  to  "  pray  always/'  and  to  "  pray  without  ceasing/' 
and  asked  his  help  in  construing  it.  He  replied  that  obedience 
ought  not  to  be  impracticable  for  the  child  of  God.  "  But  how/' 
said  the  other,  "can  one  be  always  praying?"  He  answered, 
that  if  it  might  be  permitted  to  him,  without  suspicion  of  religious 
display,  he  would  explain  by  describing  his  own  habits.  He 
then  proceeded,  with  several  parentheses,  deprecating  earnestly 
the  charge  of  egotism,  to  say  that,  besides  the  stated  daily 
seasons  of  secret  and  social  prayer,  he  had  long  cultivated  the 
habit  of  connecting  the  most  trivial  and  customary  acts  of  life 
with  a  silent  prayer.  "When  we  take  our  meals,"  said  he, 
"  there  is  the  grace.  When  I  take  a  draught  of  water,  I  always 
pause,  as  my  palate  receives  the  refreshment,  to  lift  up  my  heart 
to  God  in  thanks  and  prayer  for  the  water  of  life.  Whenever  I 
drop  a  letter  into  the  box  at  the  post-office,  I  send  a  petition 
along  with  it,  for  God's  blessing  upon  its  mission  and  upon  the 
person  to  whom  it  is  sent.  When  I  break  the  seal  of  a  letter 
just  received,  I  stop  to  pray  to  God  that  He  may  prepare  me 
for  its  contents,  and  make  it  a  messenger  of  good.  When  I  go 
to  my  class-room,  and  await  the  arrangement  of  the  cadets  in 
their  places,  that  is  my  time  to  intercede  with  God  for  them. 
And  so  of  every  other  familiar  act  of  the  day."  "  But,"  said  his 
friend,  "  do  you  not  often  forget  these  seasons,  coming  so 
frequently  ?  "  "  No,"  said  he,  "  I  have  made  the  practice  habitual 
to  me ;  and  I  can  no  more  forget  it,  than  forget  to  drink  when  I 


HE   PRIZED  f  CHRISTIAN   INTERCESSION.  107 

am  thirsty."  He  added  that  the  usage  had  become  as  delightful 
to  him  as  it  was  regular. 

He  had  a  higher  and  more  unaffected  sense  of  the  value  of  the 
prayers  of  other  Christians  than  of  his  own.  To  one  who  did 
not  know  how  abhorrent  all  cant  and  pretence  were  to  the  sin 
cerity  and  truthfulness  of  his  nature,  the  frequent  assertions  of 
this  feeling  in  his  letters  would  almost  appear  as  unmeaning 
verbiage.  He  never  seemed  to  let  slip  an  opportunity  to  urge 
Christians  to  prayer,  for  the  Church  and  for  their  country.  Here 
are  examples,  which  only  express  his  habitual  language  and  spirit. 
Writing  to  a  near  Christian  connexion,  he  says : — 

"My  DEAR  SISTER,  —  Do  not  forget  to  remember  me  in  prayer. 
To  the  prayers  of  God's  people  I  look  with  more  interest  than 
to  our  military  strength.  In  answer  to  them,  God  has  greatly 
blessed  us  thus  far,  and  we  may  sanguinely  expect  him  to  con 
tinue  to  do  so,  if  we  and  all  His  people  but  continue  to  do  our 
duty." 

He  usually  concluded  his  letters  to  his  pastor  during  his  cam 
paigns,  thus : — 

"And  now,  present  me  affectionately  to  all  my  friends  and 
brethren,  and  say  to  them,  the  greatest  kindness  they  can  show 
me  is  to  pray  for  me." 

When  he  had  completed  the  series  of  brilliant  victories  in  the 
Yalley  of  Virginia,  having  utterly  routed  five  Federal  generals 
ro  quick  succession,  he  entered  upon  a  forced  march  of  more  than 
a  hundred  miles,  to  join  the  armies  below  Richmond.  When 
about  half  of  this  march  was  completed,  he  stopped  to  rest  his 
army  during  the  Sabbath;  and  one  use  which  ho  made  of  the 
respite  was  to  write  to  his  pastor  upon  two  subjects.  One  was 
the  supply  of  chaplains  for  the  army;  and  the  other  may  be 
stated  in  his  own  words : — 

"  I  am  afraid  that  our  people  are  looking  to  the  wrong  source 


108-  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

for  help,  and  ascribing  our  successes  to  those  to  whom  they  are 
not  due.  If  we  fail  to  trust  in  God,  and  to  give  Him  all  the 
glory,  our  cause  is  ruined.  Give  to  our  friends  at  home  due 
warning  on  this  subject." 

To  another  friend  he  wrote,  Dec,  5,  1862  (eight  days  before 
the  great  battle  of  Fredericksburg) : — 

"  Whilst  we  were  near  Winchester,  it  pleased  our  ever-merciful 
Heavenly  Father  to  visit  my  command  with  the  rich  outpouring 
of  His  Spirit.  There  were  probably  more  than  one  hundred 
inquiring  the  way  of  life  in  my  old  brigade.  It  appears  to  me 
that  we  may  look  for  growing  piety  and  many  conversions  in  the 
army ;  for  it  is  the  subject  of  prayer.  If  so  many  prayers  were 
offered  for  the  blessing  of  God  upon  any  other  organization, 
would  we  not  expect  the  Answerer  of  prayer  to  hear  the  peti 
tions,  and  send  a  blessing  ?  " 

And  again,  January  1,  1863  : — 

"  MY  DEAR  FRIEND, — Your  last  letter  came  safe  to  hand,  and 
I  am  much  gratified  to  see  that  your  prayer-meeting  for  the 
army  is  still  continued.  Dr.  White  writes  that  in  Lexington 
thp.y  continue  to  meet  every  Wednesday  afternoon  for  the  same 
purpose.  I  have  more  confidence  in  such  organizations  than  in 
military  ones  as  the  means  of  an  early  peace,  though  both  are 
necessary." 

In  the  autumn  of  1861,  after  the  first  battle  of  Manassas,  his 
pastor,  with  another  venerable  minister,  visited  his  brigade  at 
his  invitation,  to  preach  to  his  soldiers,  and  to  lodge  in  his  quar 
ters.  They  arrived  at  nightfall,  and  found  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  on  the  spot,  communicating  in  person  some  important 
orders.  General  Jackson  merely  paused  to  give  them  the  most 
hurried  salutation  consistent  with  respect,  and  without  a  mo 
ment's  dallying  passed  on  to  execute  his  duties.  After  a  length 
of  time  he  returned,  all  the  work  of  the  evening  completed,  and 


HIS   PRAYER  FOR   H/S   PASTOR.  109 

renewed  his  welcome  with  a  beaming  face,  and  warm  abandon  of 
manner,  heaping  upon  them  affectionate  attentions,  and  inquiring 
after  all  their  households.  Dr.  White  spent  five  days  and  nights 
with  him,  preaching  daily.  In  the  General's  quarters,  he  found 
his  morning  and  evening  worship  as  regularly  held  as  it  had 
been  at  home.  Jackson  modestly  proposed  to  his  pastor  to  lead 
in  this  worship,  which  he  did  until  the  last  evening  of  his  stay ; 
when,  to  the  usual  request  for  prayers,  he  answered,  "  General, 
you  have  often  prayed  with  and  for  me  at  home,  be  so  kind  as 
to  do  so  to-night."  Without  a  word  of  objection,  Jackson  took  the 
sacred  volume,  and  read  and  prayed.  "And  never  while  life  lasts," 
said  the  pastor,  "  can  I  forget  that  prayer.  He  thanked  God  for 
sending  me  to  visit  the  army,  and  prayed  that  He  would  own 
and  bless  my  ministrations,  both  to  officers  and  privates,  so  that 
many  souls  might  be  saved.  He  gave  thanks  for  what  it  had 
pleased  God  to  do  for  the  church  in  Lexington,  '  to  which  both 
of  us  belong,'  especially  for  the  revivals  He  had  mercifully 
granted  to  that  church,  and  for  the  many  preachers  of  the  gospel 
sent  forth  from  its  membership.  He  then  prayed  for  the  pastor, 
and  every  member  of  his  family,  for  the  ruling  elders,  the  dea 
cons,  and  the  private  members  of  the  church,  such  as  were  at 
home,  and  especially  such  as  then  belonged  to  the  army.  He 
then  pleaded  with  such  tenderness  and  fervor,  that  God  would 
baptize  the  whole  army  with  His  Holy  Spirit,  that  my  own  hard 
heart  was  melted  into  penitence,  gratitude,  and  praise.  When 
we  had  risen  from  our  knees,  he  stood  before  his  camp  fire,  with 
that  calm  dignity  of  mien  and  tender  expression  of  countenance 
for  which  he  was  so  remarkable,  and  said,  '  Doctor,  I  would  be 
glad  to  learn  more  fully  than  I  have  yet  done,  what  your  views 
are  of  the  prayer  of  faith.'  A  conversation  then  commenced, 
which  was  continued  long  after  the  hour  of  midnight,  in  which,  it 


110  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

is  candidly  confessed,  the  pastor  received  more  instruction  than 
he  imparted." 

But  perhaps  the  most  impressive  exhibition  of  his  prayerful 
spirit  was  that  which  was  sometimes  witnessed  on  the  field  of 
battle.  More  than  once,  as  one  of  his  favorite  brigades'  wad 
passing  into  action,  he  had  been  noticed  sitting  motionless  upon 
his  horse,  with  his  right  hand  uplifted,  while  the  war-worn 
column  swept,  in  stern  silence,  close  by  his  side,  into  the  storm 
of  shot.  For  a  time,  it  seemed  doubtful  whether  it  was  mere 
abstraction  of  thought,  or  a  posture  to  relieve  his  fatigue.  But 
at  length  those  who  looked  more  narrowly  were  convinced  by 
his  closed  eyes  and  moving  lips,  that  he  was  wrestling  in  silent 
prayer  for  them !  His  fervent  soul  doubtless  swelled  witli  the 
solemn  thoughts  of  his  own  responsibility  and  his  country's 
crisis,  of  the  precious  blood  he  was  compelled  to  put  in  jeopardy, 
and  the  souls  passing,  perhaps  unprepared,  to  their  everlasting 
doom ;  and  of  the  orphanage  and  widowhood  which  was  about 
to  ensue.  Recognizing  the  sovereignty  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  he 
interceded  for  his  veterans,  that  "the  Almighty  would  cover  them 
with  his  feathers,  and  that  his  truth  might  be  their  shield  and 
buckler."  The  moral  grandeur  of  this  scene  was  akin  to  that 
when  Moses,  upon  the  Mount  of  God,  lifted  up  his  hands  while 
Israel  prevailed  against  Amalek. 

The  Christian  reader  will  easily  comprehend  that  one  so  con 
scientious,  and  believing,  and  devout,  was  a  happy  man.  He 
had,  while  in  Lexington,  his  domestic  bereavements,  and  he  felt 
them  as  every  man  of  sensibility  must ;  but  the  consolations  of 
the  gospel  abounded  in  him  at  those  seasons.  His  habitual 
frame  was  a  calm  sunshine.  He  was  never  desponding,  and 
never  frivolous.  It  is  manifest,  that  in  all  the  later  years  of  his 
religious  life,  his  soul  dwelt  continually  in  the  blessed  assurance  of 
his  acceptance  through  the  Redeemer ;  and  this  steady  spiritual 


HIS   SPIRITUAL   JOY.  Ill 

joy  purified  and  elevated  all  his  earthly  affections.  It  is  the 
testimony  of  his  pastor,  that  he  was  the  happiest  man  he  ever 
knew.  The  assurance  that  "all  things  work  together  for  good  to 
them  that  love  God,  to  them  who  are  the  called  according  to  his 
purpose,"  was,  to  him,  a  living  reality.  It  robbed  suffering  of 
all  its  bitterness,  and  transmuted  trials  into  blessings.  To  his 
most  intimate  Christian  associate,  he  was  one  day  expressing  his 
surprise  that  this  class  of  promises  did  not  yield  to  other  Chris 
tians  a  more  solid  peace.  The  suggestion  arose  in  the  mind  of 
his  friend  hereupon  to  try  the  extent  of  his  own  faith,  with  the 
question,  whether  the  trust  in  God's  love,  and  purposes  of  mercy 
to  his  own  soul,  would  be  sufficient  to  confer  on  him  abiding 
happiness  under  the  privation  of  all  earthly  good.  He  answered, 
"Yes;  he  was  confident  that  he  was  reconciled  and  adopted 
through  the  work  of  Christ;  and  that  therefore,  inasmuch  as 
every  event  was  disposed  by  omniscience  guided  by  redeeming 
love  for  him,  seeming  evils  must  be  real  blessings ;  and  that  it 
was  not  in  the  power  of  any  earthly  calamity  to  overthrow  his 
happiness."  His  friend  knew  his  anxious  care  of  his  health,  and 
asked,  "  Suppose,  Major,  that  you  should  lose  your  health  irre 
parably,  do  you  think  you  could  be  happy  then  ?  "  He  answered, 
"Yes;  I  should  be  happy  still."  His  almost  morbid  fear  of 
blindness  was  remembered,  and  the  question  was  asked :  "  But 
suppose,  in  addition  to  chronic  illness,  you  should  incur  the  total 
loss  of  your  eyesight;  would  not  that  be  too  much  for  you?" 
He  answered  firmly,  "No."  His  dislike  of  dependence  was 
excessive ;  he  was  therefore  asked  once  more :  "  Suppose  that,  in 
addition  to  ruined  health,  and  total  blindness,  you  should  lose  all 
your  property,  and  be  left  thus,  incapable  of  any  useful  occupa 
tion,  a  wreck,  to  linger  on  a  sick-bed,  dependent  on  the  charities 
of  those  who  had  no  tie  to  you,  would  not  this  be  too  much  for 
your  faith  ?"  He  pondered  a  moment,  and  then  answered  in  a 


112  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

reverent  tone :  "If  it  were  the  will  of  God  to  place  me  there, 
He  would  enable  me  to  lie  there  peacefully  a  hundred  years." 

Such  was  the  man,  as  he  appeared  to  those  who  knew  him  best. 
The  attempt  has  been  made  to  enable  the  reader  to  sec  his 
Christian  character  just  as  it  manifested  itself,  without  conceal 
ing,  abating,  or  exaggerating  any  traits.  Some  of  these  will  be 
pronounced  by  many  to  be  singular,  and  some,  perhaps,  little 
worthy  of  applause  or  imitation ;  for,  among  those  who  observed 
it  for  themselves,  there  were  not  a  few  who  regarded  his  con 
science  about  little  things  as  over-scrupulous,  if  not  morbid. 
And  some  affected  to  regard  him  as  a  sincere,  odd,  weak  man, 
to  be  admired  for  his  honesty,  but  for  little  else.  Whether  his 
particularity  concerning  what  have  been  called  "  the  minor 
morals,"  was  unreasonable,  or  whether  it  was  but  the  rectitude 
which  the  Saviour  inculcates,  when  He  says,  "  He  that  is  faithful 
in  that  which  is  least,  is  faithful  also  in  much,"  may  be  left  to 
each  Christian  to  decide  for  himself,  with  the  remark,  that  this 
strictness  in  little  duties  was  attended  with  most  noble  fruits  in 
the  graver  concerns  of  his  life,  and  that  God  crowned  this  relig 
ious  character,  such  as  it  was.  with  peculiar  honor.  In  view  of 
these  facts,  it  is  hoped  there  will  be  many  to  join  in  the  prayer, 
that,  if  Jackson's  was  a  morbid  conscience,  all  Christians  may  be 
infected  with  the  same  disease. 

He  has  been  often  compared  to  Cromwell  and  to  Havelock, 
but  without  justice  in  cither  case.  The  latter  he  certainly 
resembled  in  energy,  in  directness,  in  bravery,  and  in  the  vigor 
of  his  faith;  but  his  spiritual  character  was  far  more  symmetrical, 
mellow,  and  noble.  His  ambition  was  more  thoroughly  chastened. 
He  had  risen  to  a  calm  and  holy  superiority  to  all  the  glitter  of 
military  glory,  to  which  Havelock  never  attained.  Had  Jackson 
reared  sons  to  succeed  to  his  name,  he  would  never,  like  him, 
have  directed  them  to  the  bustling  pursuits  of  arms  in  preference 


COHPAKISONS.  113 

to  the  sacred  office  of  the  gospel  ministry.  He  would  have  said 
that,  if  his  sons  were  clearly  called  by  the  providence  of  God  to 
fight,  and  even  to  die,  for  the  necessary  defence  of  their  country, 
then  he  should  desire  to  see  them  brave  soldiers ;  but  that  other 
wise,  his  warmest  wish  for  them  would  be,  that  they  might  share 
the  honor  of  winning  souls,  the  calling  which  he  most  coveted  for 
himself.  Nor  had  he,  either  in  manners  or  character,  any  of  that 
abnormal  vivacity  which  made  Haveiock  as  peculiar  as  he  was 
great.  The  field  on  which  his  military  genius  was  displayed, 
and  the  armies  he  wielded,  were  so  large  compared  with  those 
of  the  British  captain,  that  a  comparison  on  this  point  would  be 
equally  difficult  and  unfair. 

To  liken  Jackson  to  Cromwell  is  far  more  incorrect.  With 
all  the  genius,  both  military  and  civic,  and  all  the  iron  will  of  the 
Lord  Protector,  he  had  a  moral  and  spiritual  character  so  much 
more  noble  that  they  cannot  be  named  together.  In  place  of 
harboring  Cromwell's  selfish  ambition,  which,  under  the  veil  of  a 
religiousness  that  perhaps  concealed  it  from  himself,  grew  to  the 
end,  and  fixed  the  foulest  .stain  upon  his  memory,  Jackson 
crucified  the  not  ignoble  thirst  for  glory  which  animated  his 
youth,  until  his  abnegation  of  self  became  as  pure  and  magnani 
mous  as  that  of  Washington.  Cromwell's  religion  was  essen 
tially  fanatical ;  and,  until  it  was  chilled  by  an  influence  as  malign 
as  fanaticism  itself — the  lust  of  power,  it  was  disorganizing. 
Every  fibre  of  Jackson's  being,  as  formed  by  nature  and 
grace  alike,  was  antagonistic  to  fanaticism  and  radicalism. 
He  believed  indeed  in  the  glorious  doctrines  of  providence 
and  redemption,  with  an  appropriating  faith;  he  believed  in 
his  own  spiritual  life  and  communion  with  God  through  Hia 
grace,  and  lived  upon  the  Scripture  promises ;  but  he  would 
never  have  mistaken  the  heated  impulses  of  excitement  for 
the  inspirations  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  to  be  asserted  even  beyond 
15 


114  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

and  against  His  own  revealed  word;  nor  would  he  have  ever 
presumed  on  such  a  profane  interpretation  of  His  secret  will, 
as  to  conclude  that  the  victory  of  D unbar  was  sufficient  proof, 
without  the  teachings  of  scriptural  principles  of  duty,  of  the 
righteousness  of  the  invasion  of  Scotland.    There  -was  never, 
in  Jackson's  piety,  a  particle  of  that  false  heat  which  could 
prompt  a  wish  to  intrude   into   clerical   functions.      Every  in 
stinct  of  his  soul  approved  the  beauty  of  a  regular  and  right 
eous  order.     His  religion  was  of  the  type  of  Hampclen,  rather 
than  of  the  Independent.    Especially  was  his  character  unlike 
Cromwell's,  in  its  freedom  from  cant ;  his  correct  taste  abhorred 
it,     Sincerity  was  his  grand  characteristic.     With  him  profes 
sion  always  came  short  of  the  reality;   he  was  incapable  of 
affecting  what  he  did  not  feel ;  and  it  would  have  been  for  him 
an  impossibility  to  use  speech  with  the  diplomatic  art  of  con 
cealing,  instead  of  expressing,  his  true  intent.     His  action,  like 
Cromwell's,  was  always  vigorous,  and  at  the  call  of  justice  could 
be  rigid.     But  his  career  could  never  have  been  marked  by  a 
massacre  like  that  of  Drogheda,  or  an  execution  like  that  of  the 
King.     The  immeasurable  superiority  of  his  spiritual  life  over 
that  of  Cromwell,  may  be  justly  illustrated  by  the  contrast  be 
tween  their  last  days.     The  approach  of  death  found  Cromwell's 
religion  corrupted  by  power  and  riches,  his  faith  tottering,  his 
communion  with  God  interrupted,  las  comfort  overclouded ;  and 
at  last  he  faced  the  final  struggle  with  no  better  support  for  his 
soul  than  a  miserable  perversion  of  the  doctrine  of  the  perse 
verance  of  the  saints,  by  which  he  claimed  the  comfort  of  a 
former  assurance,  long  since  forfeited  by  backslidings.     But  the 
piety  of  Jackson  continually  repaired  its  benignant  beams  at 
the  fountain  of  divine  light  and  purity,  becoming  brighter  and 
brighter  unto  the  perfect  day.     His  nature  grew  more  unselfish, 
his  aims  more  noble,  his  spirit  more  heavenly ;  while  his  eager 


HIS  EUROPEAN   TOUR.  115 

feet  ran  with  ever  hastening  speed  and  joy  in  the  way  of  godli 
ness  to  its  close.  And  his  end,  sustained  by  the  peaceful  tri 
umphs  of  faith,  was  rather  a  translation  than  a  death. 

This  portraiture  of  Jackson's  character  will  be  concluded  with 
some  notice  of  his  domestic  life  in  Lexington.  Thus  the  foliage 
will  be  added  to  the  crown  of  the  column,  lest  the  reader  should 
err  by  assigning  to  it  a  Doric  severity.  After  two  years'  resi 
dence  at  the  Military  Academy,  he  was  married  to  Eleanor 
Junkin,  the  daughter  of  the  president  of  the  adjoining  college, 
on  August  4th,  1853.  The  memorials  of  his  short  connexion 
with  this  accomplished  lady  are  scanty;  but  enough  is  known 
to  show  that  he  was  a  tender  husband.  After  fourteen  months 
of  married  life  he  lost  her  by  death,*  and  the  bereavement 
was  peculiarly  harrowing,  because  it  came  without  warning, 
and  just  as  he  hoped  the  circle  of  his  domestic  joys  was  to 
be  completed  instead  of  ruptured.  It  is  related  that  his  grief 
was  so  pungent,  as  not  only  to  distress,  but  seriously  to  alarm 
his  friends.  Yet  even  then  he  was  most  anxious  not  to  sin  by 
questioning  in  his  heart  the  wisdom  and  rectitude  of  God's  deal 
ings  with  him.  His  endeavors  after  self-control  were  strenuous, 
and  he  never  for  a  moment  lost  the  dignity  of  the  Christian  in 
his  grief.  But  for  a  long  time  his  taste  for  secular  occupations 
and  pleasures  was  lost,  and  his  only  aspirations  pointed  to  the 
other  world.  During  this  season  of  discipline  his  health  suffered 
seriously,  and  his  friends  induced  him,  in  the  summer  of  1856,  to 
make  a  European  tour,  in  the  hope  that  the  spell  might  be 
broken  which  bound  him  in  sadness.  He  visited  England, 
Belgium,  France,  and  Switzerland,  spending  about  four  months 
among  the  venerable  architectural  remains,  and  mountain  scenery 
of  those  countries.  This  journey  was  the  source  of  high  enjoy 
ment  to  him.  But  the  opposition  of  his  nature  to  all  egotism 
was  as  strikingly  shown  here  as  elsewhere;  he  was  no  more 


116  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

inclined  to  speak  of  his  travels  than  of  his  exploits.  It  was  only 
at  rare  times,  when  with  some  intimate  friend  who  could  ap 
preciate  his  sentiments,  that  he  launched  out,  and  related  with 
enthusiasm  his  delight  in  the  grandeur  of  the  mediaeval  temples 
and  the  Alps ;  of  York  Minster  and  Mont  Blanc.  He  returned 
from  this  holiday  with  animal  spirits  and  health  completely 
renovated.  Although  he  resorted  no  more  to  society,  he  re 
sumed  his  scientific  occupations  with  zest,  and  his  religious  life 
again  became  as  sunny  and  cheerful  as  was  his  wont.  A  little 
incident  attending  his  arrival  at  home  illustrates  the  temper  of 
the  man.  The  full  session  of  the  military  school  had  begun,  at 
which  time  he  had  promised  to  return.  His  classes  were  await 
ing  him ;  week  after  week  passed,  and  everybody  wondered  that 
the  exact  Major  Jackson  had  not  returned  to  his  post.  At 
length  he  reached  Lexington  unexpectedly ;  and  his  first  act  was 
to  visit  the  family  of  his  deceased  wife.  After  the  first  joyful 
greetings  and  explanations  of  his  delay,  a  sister  exclaimed: 
"  But,  Major,  have  you  not  been  miserable,  have  you  not  been 
perfectly  wretched  since  the  beginning  of  the  month?"  "Why, 
no ! "  said  he,  with  amazement ;  "  why  should  I  be  ?  "  "  You 
know,"  she  replied,  "  that  you  are  so  dreadfully  punctual,  and  as 
the  session  had  begun,  and  the  time  you  promised  to  return  had 
passed,  we  just  supposed  you  were  beside  yourself  with  impa 
tience."  "  By  no  means,"  he  replied ;  "  I  had  set  out  to  return 
at  the  proper  time;  I  had  done  my  duty;  the  steamer  was 
delayed  by  the  act  of  Providence ;  and  I  was  perfectly  satisfied." 
He  was  married  again,  on  July  15th,  1857,  to  Mary  Anna 
Morrison,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  R.  H.  Morrison,  an  eminent 
Presbyterian  divine  of  North  Carolina,  and  niece  of  the  Honora 
ble  William  Graham.  This  lady,  with  one  living  daughter,  born 
in  November  1862,  survives  him.  Another  infant,  born  in  the 
early  years  of  this  marriage,  was  cut  off  at  the  age  of  a  month. 


DOMESTIC   AFFECTIONS.  117 

In  no  man  were  the  domestic  affections  ever  more  tender  and 
noble.  He  who  only  saw  the  stern  self-denying  soldier  in  his 
quarters,  amidst  the  details  of  the  commander's  duties,  or  on  the 
field  of  battle,  could  scarcely  comprehend  the  gentle  sweetness 
of  his  home  life.  There,  the  cloud  which,  to  his  enemies,  was 
only  night  and  tempest,  displayed  nothing  but  the  "  silver  lining" 
of  the  sunlight  upon  its  reverse ;  and  that  light  came  chiefly  from 
the  Sun  of  righteousness.  He  was  intensely  fond  of  his  home, 
where  all  his  happiness  and  every  recreation  centred.  As  his 
foot  crossed  its  threshold,  care  lifted  itself  from  his  brow,  his 
presence  brought  cheerfulness,  and,  by  his  example  of  childlike 
gaiety,  he  allured  its  inmates  to  every  innocent  enjoyment.  His 
tongue,  elsewhere  so  guarded  in  its  speech,  seemed  to  luxuriate 
in  a  playful  variety  of  terms  of  endearment  borrowed  often  from 
the  Spanish,  which  he  always  said  was  richer  and  more  expres 
sive  in  these  phrases  than  the  English  •  and  in  these  he  loved  to 
address,  and  be  addressed  by  the  members  of  his  family.  In  his 
household^  the  law  of  love  reigned  j  his  own  happy  pattern  was 
the  chief  stimulus  to  duty ;  and  his  sternest  rebuke,  when  he 
beheld  any  recession  from  gentleness  or  propriety,  was  to  say, 
half  tenderly,  half  sadly :  "  Ah,  that  is  not  the  way  to  be  happy  I" 

It  was  in  his  own  house,  also,  that  the  social  aspects  of  his 
character  shone  forth  most  pleasingly  to  his  acquaintances. 
Although  the  most  unostentatious  of  men  in  his  mode  of  living, 
he  was  generous  and  hospitable.  Nowhere  else  was  he  so  uncon 
strained  and  easy,  as  with  the  guests  at  his  own  table.  A  short 
time  after  his  second  marriage,  he  wrote  thus  to  a  near  friend : — 

"We  are  still  at  the  hotel,  but  expect,  on  the  1st  of  January, 

to  remove  to  Mr. 's  house  as  boarders.  I  hope  that  in 

the  course  of  time  we  shall  be  able  to  call  some  house  our  home  ; 
where  we  may  have  the  pleasure  of  receiving  a  long  visit  from 
you I  shall  never  be  content  until  I  am  at  the  head  of  an 


118  LIFE  OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 

establishment  in  which  my  friends  can  feel  at  home  in  Lexington, 
I  have  taken  the  first  important  step  by  securing  a  wife  capable 
of  making  a  happy  home.  And  the  next  thing  is  to  give  her  an 
opportunity." 

Before  very  long  these  purposes  were  realized ;  he  was  settled 
in  his  own  house,  where  he  delighted  to  entertain  his  select 
friends  with  unpretending  but  substantial  comfort.  An  instance 
of  his  considerate  kindness  will  show  his  character  better  than 
many  words.  One  of  his  friends,  having  occasion  to  take  his 
little  daughter  of  four  years  upon  a  considerable  journey  without 
the  attendance  of  its  mother,  called  on  the  way  to  spend  the 
night  with  Major  Jackson.  At  bed-time,  he  proposed  that  Mrs. 
Jackson  should  take  charge  of  the  little  one  for  the  night ;  but 
the  father  replied  that  she  would  not  be  contented  with  a  com 
parative  stranger,  and  would  give  least  trouble  if  he  kept  her  in 
his  own  bosom.  At  a  dead  hour  of  the  night,  he  was  awakened 
by  a  gentle  step  in  the  room,  and  a  hand  upon  his  bed.  It  was 
Jackson,  tenderly  adjusting  the  bed-clothes  around  the  infant's 
face  ]  and  when  the  father  spoke,  he  replied  that,  knowing  she 
was  accustomed  to  a  mother's  watchfulness,  he  had  lain  awake 
thinking  of  the  danger  of  her  becoming  uncovered  and  catching 
a  cold ;  and  had  thought  it  best  to  come  to  his  chamber  and  see 
that  all  was  safe.  This  was  also  the  mighty  hand  which  guided 
the  thunders  of  war  at  Sharpsburg  and  Chancellorsville ! 

Upon  becoming  the  proprietor  of  a  house  with  a  garden,  and 
soon  afterwards  of  a  farm  of  a  few  acres,  his  rural  tastes  revived 
in  full  force.  He  devoted  his  hours  of  recreation  to  gardening 
with  Ins  own  hands,  and  was,  from  the  first,  very  successful. 
Indeed,  the  ability  of  his  mind  displayed  itself,  as  in  Washington, 
by  the  practical  skill  with  which  he  handled  everything  which 
claimed  his  attention.  His  vegetables  were  the  earliest  and 
finest  of  the  neighborhood.  His  stable  and  dairy  were  stocked 


REGULARITY   OP   LIFE.  119 

well  and  cared  for  in  the  best  possible  manner.  His  little 
farm  of  rocky  hill-land  was  soon  perfectly  enclosed  and  tilled, 
and  became  a  fruitful  field.  He  used  to  say  that  the  bread 
grown  there,  by  the  labor  of  himself  and  his  slaves,  tasted 
sweeter  than  that  which  was  bought.  Although  he  seemed  to 
be  absolutely  indifferent  to  wealth,  and  gave  from  his  modest 
means  with  an  ungrudging  hand,  yet  they  grew  under  his  energy 
and  practical  sense,  as  it  were  in  spite  of  his  generous  profusion. 
The  chief  cause  which  he  would  have  assigned  for  this  prosper 
ity,  was  the  blessing  of  Him  who  declares  that  "  the  liberal  soul 
shall  be  made  fat."  The  secondary  causes,  which  his  neighbors 
assigned,  were  the  moderation  of  his  own  habits,  and  the  sound 
ness  of  his  judgment,  which  never  admitted  a  mistake  or  a 
useless  waste. 

His  life  here  was  so  methodical,  that  its  picture  may  be  taken 
from  that  of  one  day.  He  always  rose  at  dawn;  and  his  first 
occupation  was  secret  prayer,  followed,  if  the  weather  permitted, 
by  a  solitary  walk.  His  family  prayers  were  held  at  seven 
o'clock,  summer  and  winter,  and  all  his  domestics  were  rigidly 
required  to  be  present.  But  the  absence  of  no  one  was  allowed 
to  delay  the  service.  Breakfast  then  followed,  and  he  went  to 
his  class-room  at  eight  o'clock.  Here  he  was  usually  engaged 
in  instruction  until  eleven  o'clock,  when  he  returned  to  his 
study.  The  first  book  which  engaged  his  attention  was  the 
Bible,  which  was  not  merely  read,  but  studied  as  a  daily  lesson. 
The  time  until  dinner  was  then  devoted  to  his  text-books.  Be 
tween  that  meal  and  supper,  the  interval  was  occupied  by  his 
garden,  his  farm,  or  the  duties  of  the  church.  The  evening  was 
devoted  first  to  the  mental  review  of  the  studies  of  the  day, 
made  without  book,  and  then  to  literary  reading  or  conversa 
tion,  until  ten  o'clock,  p.  M.,  when  he  retired.  He  never  chose 
works  of  fiction,  but  the  classic  historians  and  poets  of  the 


120  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENEIIAL   JACKSON. 

English  tongue ;  but  this  avoidance  of  works  of  mere  fancy  was 
from  principle,  not  from  indifference.  If  he  was  once  entrapped 
into  an  interest  in  their  narrative,  be  betrayed  all  the  keenness 
of  the  veteran  novel-reader ;  and  only  restrained  it  from  a  sense 
of  the  duty  of  husbanding  bis  time.  As  the  weakness  of  his 
eyes  forbade  the  use  of  them  at  night,  these  readings  for  recrea 
tion  were  usually  by  some  member  of  the  family,  while  he  sat 
an  interested  listener  and  critic.  And  such  was  the  tenacity  of 
his  memory,  that  what  was  thus  acquired  was  never  parted 
with. 

But  the  best  conception  of  his  domestic  character  will  be 
gained  from  his  own  words ;  and,  to  enable  the  reader  to  form 
this,  a  few  extracts  will  be  given  from  his  correspondence  with 
his  wife,  so  selected  as  to  disclose  his  interior  life,  but  not  to 
violate  the  proprieties  of  a  sacred  relationship. 

April  18th,  1857,  upon  hearing  of  the  painful  death  of  the 
son  of  a  friend,  greatly  lamented  by  his  .parents,  he  says  :  —  "I 
wrote  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  —  -  a  few  days  since;  and  my  prayer 
is  that  this  heavy  affliction  may  be. sanctified  to  them.  I  was 
not  surprised  that  little  M.  was  taken  away,  as  I  have  long 
regarded  his  father's  attachment  to  him  as  too  strong;  that  is, 
so  strong  that  he  would  be  unwilling  to  give  him  up,  though  God 
should  call  for  His  own.  I  am  not  one  of  those  who  believe 
that  an  attachment  ever  is,  or  can  be  absolutely  too  strong  for 
any  object  of  our  affections ;  but  our  love  for  God  may  not  be 
strong  enough.  We  may  not  love  Him  so  intensely  as  to  have 
no  will  but  His." 

"April  25th,  1857.  —  It  is  a  great  comfort  to  me  to  know, 
that  though  I  am  not  with  you,  yet  you  are  in  the  hands  of  One 
who  will  not  permit  any  evil  to  come  nigh  to  you.  What  a 
consoling  thought  .it  is,  to  know  that  we  may,  with  perfect 
confidence,  commit  all  our  friends  in  Jesus  to  the  care  of  our 


CORRESPONDENCE.  121 

Heavenly  Father,  with  an  assurance  that  all  shall  be  well  with 
them." 

.  "I  have  been  sorely  disappointed  at  not  hearing  from  you 
this  morning  j  but  these  disappointments  are  all  designed  for  our 
good.  In  my  daily  walks  I  think  much  of  you.  I  love  to  stroll 
abroad  after  the  labors  of  the  day  are  over,  and  indulge  feelings 
of  gratitude  to  God  for  all  the  sources  of  natural  beauty  with 
which  He  has  adorned  the  earth.  Some  time  since  my  morning 
walks  were  rendered  very  delightful  by  the  singing  of  the  birds. 
The  morning  carolling  of  the  birds,  and  their  notes  in  the  even 
ing,  awaken  in  me  devotional  feelings  of  praise  and  gratitude, 
though  very  different  in  their  nature.  In  the  morning,  all  ani 
mated  nature  (man  excepted)  appears  to  join  in  active  expres 
sions  of  gratitude  to  God;  in  the  evening,  all  is  hushing  into 
silent  slumber,  and  thus  disposes  the  mind  to  meditation.  And 
as  my  mind  dwells  on  you,  I  love  to  give  it  a  devotional  turn,  by 
thinking  of  you  as  a  gift  from  our  Heavenly  Father.  How  de 
lightful  it  is,  thus  to  associate  every  pleasure  and  enjoyment  with 
God  the  Giver  I  Thus  will  he  bless  us,  and  make  us  grow  in 
grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  Him,  whom  to  know  aright  is 
life  eternal." 

"May  *lth,  1857.  —  I  wish  I  could  be  with  you  to-morrow  at 
your  communion  [the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper] .  Though 
absent  in  body,  yet  in  spirit  I  shall  be  present,  and  my  prayer 
will  be  for  your  growth  in  every  Christian  grace." 

"  I  take  special  pleasure  in  the  part  of  my  prayers,  in  which  I 
beg  that  every  temporal  and  spiritual  blessing  may  be  yours,  and 
that  the  glory  of  God  may  be  the  controlling  and  absorbing 
thought  of  our  lives  in  our  new  relation.  It  is  to  me  a  great 
satisfaction,  to  feel  that  God  has  so  manifestly  ordered  our 
union.  I  believe,  and  am  persuaded,  that  if  we  but  walk  in 
His  commandments,  acknowledging  Him  in  all  our  ways,  He 
16 


122  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-CEXERAL   JACKSOX. 


shower  His  blessings  upon  us*.  How  delightful  it  is,  to  feel 
that  we  have  such  a  Friend,  who  changes  not  !  I  love  to  see  and 
contemplate  Him  in  everything.  The  Christian's  recognition  of 
God  in  all  His  works,  greatly  enhances  his  enjoyment." 

"May  16th,  1857.  —  There  is  something  very  pleasant  in  the 
thought  of  your  mailing  me  a  letter  every  Monday,  and  such 
manifestation  of  regard  for  the  Sabbath  must  be  '  well-pleasing 
in  the  sight  of  God.'  0  that  all  our  people  would  manifest 
such  a  regard  for  His  holy  day  !  If  we  would  all  strictly  observe 
all  His  holy  laws,  what  would  not  our  country  be  ? 

"When  in  prayer  for  you  last  Sabbath,  the  tears  came  to  my 
eyes,  and  I  realized  an  unusual  degree  of  emotional  tenderness. 
I  have  not  yet  fully  analyzed  my  feelings  to  my  satisfaction,  so 
as  to  arrive  at  the  cause  of  such  emotions,  but  I  am  disposed  to 
think  that  it  consisted  in  the  idea  of  the  intimate  relation  exist 
ing  between  you,  as  the  object  of  my  tender  affection,  and  God, 
to  whom  I  looked  up  as  my  Heavenly  Father.  I  felt  that  day  as 
though  it  were  a  communion-day  for  myself." 

"June  20th,  1857.  —  I  never  remember  to  have  felt  so  touch- 
ingly  as  last  Sabbath,  the  pleasure  springing  from  the  thought  of 
ascending  prayers  for  my  welfare,  from  one  tenderly  beloved. 
There  is  something  very  delightful  in  such  spiritual  commu 
nion." 

Mrs.  Jackson  being  absent  upon  a  distant  visit,  he  wrote, 
April  13th,  1859:- 

"  Is  there  not  comfort  in  prayer,  which  is  not  elsewhere  to  be 
found?" 

"Home,  April  2(M,  1859.  —  Our  potatoes  are  coming  up. 
....  We  have  had  very  unusually  dry  weather  for  nearly  a 
fortnight,  and  your  garden  had  been  thirsting  for  rain  till  last 
evening,  when  the  weather  commenced  changing,  and  to-day  we 
nave  had  some  rain.  Through  grace  given  me  from  above,  I  felt 


CORRESPOXDEXCE.  123 

that  rain  would  come  at  the  right  time,  and  I  don't  recollect 
having  ever  felt  so  grateful  for  a  rain  as  for  the  present  one. 

"  Last  evening  I  sowed  turnips  between  our  pease. 

"  I  was  mistaken  about  your  large  garden-fruit  being  peaches ; 
it  turns  out  to  be  apricots ;  and  I  enclose  you  one  which  I  found 

on  the  ground  to-day.  And  just  think !  my  little has  a  tree 

full  of  them.  You  must  come  home  before  they  get  ripe." 

He  playfully  applied  the  pronoun  your  to  all  the  common 
possessions  of  his  family  when  addressing  his  wife.  It  was  "your 
house/'  "your  garden/'  "your  horse/'  "your  husband/'  or;  more 
generally,  "your  liombre,"  and  even  "your  salary." 

"May  llth j  1859.  —  I  wrote  you  this  morning  that  you  must 
not  be  discouraged.  'All  things  work  together  for  good'  to 
God's  children.  I  think  it  would  have  done  you  good  to  hear 

Dr. on  this  last  Sabbath :  l  No  affliction  for  the  present 

seemcth  to  be  joyous,  but  grievous ;  nevertheless,  afterward,  it 
yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruit  of  righteousness  to  them  who  are 
exercised  thereby.'  See  if  you  cannot  spend  a  short  time  each 
evening  after  dark  in  looking  out  of  your  window  into  space,  and 
meditating  upon  Heaven  with  all  its  joys  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory ;  and  think  what  the  Saviour  relinquished  in  glory  when  he 
came  to  earth,  and  of  His  sufferings  for  us ;  and  seek  to  realize 
with  the  Apostle,  that  the  afflictions  of  the  present  life  are  not  wor 
thy  to  be  compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed  in  us. 

"  Try  to  look  up  and  be  cheerful,  and  not  desponding.  Trust 
our  kind  heavenly  Father,  and  by  the  eye  of  faith  see  that  all 

things  with  you  are  right,  and  for  your  best  interest The 

clouds  come,  pass  over  us,  and  are  followed  by  bright  sunshine ; 
so,  in  God's  moral  dealings  with  us,  He  permits  us  to  have 
trouble  awhile,  but  let  us,  even  in  the  most  trying  dispensations 
of  His  providence,  be  cheered  by  the  brightness  which  is  a  little 
ahead. 


124          LIFE  OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

"  Try  to  live  near  to  Jesus,  and  secure  that  peace  which  flows 
like  a  river." 

"Home,  May  \1th,  1859. —  I  have  had  only  one  letter  this 
week;  but l  hope  springs  immortal  in  the  human  breast.'  So  you 
see  that  I  am  becoming  quite  poetical,  since  listening  to  a  lecture 

on  that  subject  last  night  by ,  which  was  one  grand  failure. 

I  should  not  have  gone ;  but  as  I  was  on  my  way  to  see  Capt. 

at  Major 's,  I  fell  in  with  them  going  to  the  lecture, 

and  I  could  not  avoid  joining  them.  After  the  lecture,  I  returned 
with  them  and  made  my  visit,  and,  before  committing  myself  to 
the  arms  of  Morpheus,  your  clock,  though  behind  time,  struck  12 
A.  M.,  so  I  retired  this  morning  instead  of  last  evening.  I  send 
you  a  flower  from  your  garden,  and  could  send  one  in  full 
bloom,  but  I  thought  that  this  one,  which  is  just  opening,  would 
be  in  a  betta;  state  of  preservation  when  you  get  it." 

"October  5th,  1859.  —  I  am  glad  and  thankful  that  you  re 
ceived  the  draft  and  letters  in  time.  How  kind  is  God  to  His 
children  especially !  I  feel  so  thankful  to  Him  that  He  has 
blessed  me  with  so  much  faith,  though  I  well  know  that  I  have 
not  that  faith  which  it  is  my  privilege  to  have.  But  I  hayc  been 
taught  never  to  despair,  but  to  wait,  expecting  the  blessing  at 

the  last  moment Such  occurrences  should  strengthen  our 

faith  in  Him  who  never  slumbers." 

Such  was  the  peaceful  and  pure  life  in  which  the  clays  of 
Jackson  glided  by  at  Lexington.  But  the  time  was  short. 
Events  were  ripening  which  called  him  into  scenes  more  stirring, 
and  to  deeds  that  have  brought  his  name  before  the  world,  and 
shed  an  imperishable  lustre  on  his  memory. 


SECESSION,  125 


CHAPTER    V . 

SECESSION. 

THE  type  of  Major  Jackson's  political  opinions  has  been 
already  described,  as  that  of  a  States'-Rights'  Democrat  of  "the 
most  straitest  sect."  This  name  did  not  denote  the  attachment 
of  those  who  bore  it  to  the  dogmas  of  universal  suffrage  and 
radical  democracy,  as  concerned  the  State  Governments;  but 
their  advocacy  of  republican  rights  for  these  Governments,  and 
a  limited  construction  of  the  powers  conferred  by  them  on  the 
Federal  Government.  Their  view  of  those  powers  was  founded 
on  the  following  historical  facts,  which  no  well-informed  American 
hazards  his  credit  by  disputing: — That  the  former  colonies  of 
Great  Britain  emerged  from  the  Revolutionary  War  distinct  and 
sovereign  political  communities  or  commonwealths,  in  a  word, 
separate  nations,  though  allied  together,  and  as  such  were  recog 
nized  by  all  the  European  powers:  That,  after  some  years' 
existence  as  such,  they  voluntarily  formed  a  covenant,  called  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,  which  created  a  species  of 
government  resting  upon  this  compact  for  its  existence  and 
rights ;  a  government  which  was  the  creature  of  the  sovereign 
States,  acting  as  independent  nations  in  forming  it:  That  this 
compact  conferred  certain  defined  powers  and  duties  upon  the 
Central  Government,  for  purposes  common  to  all  the  States 
alike,  and  expressly  reserved  and  prohibited  the  exercise  of  all 
other  powers,  leaving  to  the  States  the  management  of  their  own 


126  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

affairs.  They,  therefore,  did  not  sacrifice  their  nature  as  sover 
eignties,  by  acceding  to  the  Federal  Union;  but,  by  compact, 
they  conceded  some  of  the  functions  of  an  independent  nation, 
particularly  defined,  to  the  Central  Government,  retaining  all  the 
rest  as  before.  These  facts  and  this  inference  were  uniformly 
held  by  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia  at  all  times,  being  sol 
emnly  asserted  when  she  joined  the  copartnership,  and  frequently 
reaffirmed  by  her  Government  down  to  the  present  day.  They 
were,  in  substance,  embodied  in  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  itself,  by  a  formal  amendment,  immediately  after  it  went 
into  effect.  Since  the,  era  of  the  elder  Adams,  when  the  central 
izing  doctrine  was  utterly  overwhelmed  by  the  election  of  Mr. 
Jefferson,  they  have  been  professed  in  theory,  though  often 
violated  in  act,  by  every  Administration  of  whatever  party  it- 
might  be,  and  by  nearly  every  State. 

The  party  of  the  States'-Rights  usually  taught,  from  these 
principles,  that  the  Federal  Government  ought  to  continue  what 
it  was  in  the  purer  days  of  Washington  and  Jefferson,  unambi 
tious  in  its  claims  of  jurisdiction,  simple  and  modest  in  its  bear 
ing,  restricted  in  its  wealth  and  patronage,  and  economical  of 
expenditures,  save  in  the  common  defence  against  external  ene 
mies.  They  held  that  all  acts  of  legislation  which  interfered  with 
those  functions  appropriate  to  the  States  as  Commonwealths, 
and  all  those  acts  which  turned  aside  from  the  general  interests 
common  to  the  States  alike,  to  promote  particular  or  local 
interests,  were  partial,  usurping,  and  in  virtual  violation  of  the 
spirit  of  the  Constitution.  Among  these,  they  classed  all  bounty 
laws  designed  to  favor  the  inhabitants  of  a  section,  all  protective 
tariffs,  the  chartering  of  a  vast  Banking  Corporation  in  one  of 
the  States,  and  all  meddling  with  the  institution  of  domestic 
slavery  in  the  States.  They  also  held  that  the  very  Government, 
being  the  creation  of  commonwealths  which  acted  as  independent 


CREED  OF  STATES'  RIGHTS.  127 

nations  in  forming  it,  and  originating  in  a  covenant  wliicli  they 
voluntarily  formed  as  such,  derived  its  whole  authority  from  its 
conformity  to  the  terms  of  that  covenant :  that,  if  the  covenant 
were  destroyed,  the  Government  was  destroyed,  and  its  rightful 
title  to  allegiance  from  any  person  was  annihilated  —  that  being 
gone  which  was  the  sole  basis  of  it;  and  that,  in  the  dernier 
ressort  upon  any  vital  instance  of  usurpation,  the  States  them 
selves  must  be  the  judges  whether  the  covenant  was  destroyed, 
and  judges  too  of  the  necessity  and  nature  of  their  redress. 
This  right,  to  be  exercised,  indeed,  under  those  moral  obligations 
which  should  govern  all  international  intercourse,  they  held  to  be 
inherent  in  the  States  as  originally  sovereign ;  while  to  suppose 
their  federal  compact  divested  them  of  it  was  preposterous,  and 
what  was,  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  impossible.  It  would 
represent  their  voluntary  act  in  acceding  to  the  covenant  as  a 
political  suicide.  And  it  would  have  been  equally  preposterous 
for  the  Federal  Constitution  formally  to  confer  it ;  it  would  have 
been  the  absurdity  of  the  offspring's  attempting  to  confer  on  its 
own  parent  the  rights  of  paternity.  Hence  the  absolute  silence 
of  the  Federal'  Constitution  concerning  tin's  inalienable  right  of 
the  States  was  logically  consistent,  and  is  as  incapable  of  imply 
ing  anything  against,  as  for,  its  just  exercise.  How  natural 
and  fair  this  construction  is,  may  be  shown  by  the  argument  of 
the  great  English  moralist,  Paley,  against  the  theory  which  founds 
the  government  of  States  over  individuals  upon  the  fiction  of  a 
social  compact.  He  reasons  unanswerably,  that  if  this  were  so, 
the  violation  of  the  original  compact  by  the  government  of  a 
commonwealth,  in  any  one  point,  would  destroy  the  binding  force 
of  that  covenant  on  the  other  party,  the  citizen,  and  so  annihilate 
all  right  to  allegiance.  Whence  we  should  reach  the.  ruinous 
and  absurd  proposition,  that  any  one  unconstitutional  act  in  the 
ruler  would  release  every  citizen,  in  the  future,  from  all  rightful 


128  LIFE   OP  LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

obligation  to  obey  any  law  he  enjoined,  just  or  unjust.  The 
argument  is  perfectly  sound  against  the  theory  of  a  social  con 
tract  between  individuals,  because  the  government  of  a  State 
over  them  is  not  founded  on  any  such  contract,  but  on  the 
ordinance  of  God.  But  in  the  case  of  the  United  States  the 
fact  was  precisely  opposite,  for  the  whole  Central  Government 
actually  did  originate  avowedly  in  "  a  social  contract,"  to  which 
the  parties  were  States  instead  of  persons.  So  that  Paley's 
deduction  is,  in  this  case,  perfectly  true.  But  its  results  are, 
here,  in  no  wise  absurd  or  disorganizing ;  because  the  creation 
of  the  Federal  Government  did  not  originate  a  social  order  or 
civic  life  for  the  States,  and  its  destruction,  therefore,  would  not 
destroy  nor  even  relax  it.  The  jurisdiction  of  the  States  them 
selves  —  older  and  more  sovereign  societies,  indestructible  save 
by  the  hand  of  political  murder  from  without  —  preserved  and 
regulated  the  whole  social  order ;  and  the  few  functions  which 
had  been  by  them  lent  to  the  Federal  Government,  upon  the  fall 
of  the  latter,  would  not  perish,  but  naturally  revert  to  the  States 
which  had  granted  them.  In  the  integrity  of  their  powers, 
therefore,  was  the  civic  life  of  the  American  people. 

The  conception  which  the  fathers  of  the  Federal  Constitution 
formed  of  their  confederation,  was  that  of  a  Common  Agent  for 
the  equal  benefit  of  the  parties  confederated,  exercising  no  pow 
ers  except  those  derived  from  their  consent,  and  neither  possess 
ing  nor  needing  any  guarantee  for  those  powers  as  against  the 
parties,  the  States,  save  the  obvious  beneficence  towards  them 
of  all  its  action.  The  Union  was  not  a  prison  owned  by  some 
despot,  within  which  the  unwilling  inhabitants  were  to  be  kept 
by  force,  making  residence  there  the  infliction,  and  escape  the 
privilege ;  it  was  to  be  the  home,  created  for  their  common  hap 
piness  by  a  family  of  freemen,  where  residence  would  be  the 
privilege,  and  exclusion  the  penalty ;  where  each  member  of  the 


TRUE  THEORY  OF  FEDERAL  UNION.          129 

brotherhood  abode  only  because  he  chose  to  do  so;  and  yet 
there  was  no  danger  that  the  membership  would  be  prematurely 
dissolved,  because  the  advantages  of  its  just  and  beneficent  rules 
would  insure  on  the  part  of  each  member  the  desire  to  continue 
in  it ;  and  the  threat  of  exclusion  would  be  the  sufficient  disci 
pline  to  reduce  a  capricious  party  to  reason.  And  such  was  the 
Federal  Union  during  the  life  of  its  founders;  a  government 
more  deeply  seated  in  the  love  of  its  people,  and  therefore 
stronger  than  any  in  Christendom ;  more  productive  of  public 
wealth  and  happiness  in  its  action ;  weak  for  aggression  against 
the  rights  of  its  citizens,  yet  powerful  for  their  defence  against 
external  enemies.  In  this  point  was  intended  to  be  the  essential 
wisdom  of  its  structure ;  that,  being  forbidden  to  enforce,  by  the 
strong  hand,  even  its  legitimate  will  (much  more  its  illegal) 
upon  the  parties  to  it,  the  States,  it  was  compelled  to  foster 
the  motive  &r  compliance  by  making  its  authority  a  minister 
of  good  only,  and  not  of  evil.  Thus  did  our  patriotic  fathers 
attempt  to  solve  the  problem,  hitherto  unsolved,  of  securing  the 
freedom  of  the  parts,  and  yet  giving  sufficient  unity  to  the  whole, 
for  protection  against  unprincipled  power  from  without.  Had 
all  the  parts  possessed  public  virtue  enough  to  understand  and 
keep  their  obligations,  the  American  Union  would  have  contin 
ued  a  great,  because  a  benign  government.  But  with  this  great 
balance-wheel  of  free  consent  struck  from  its  fabric,  it  became 
at  once  the  most  mischievous,  cruel,  and  impracticable  of  all 
institutes,  a  centralized  democracy,  owning  no  law  save  the  ca 
price  of  the  numerical  majority. 

The  States'  Rights  party  could  prove  that  their  conception  of 
the  government  was  the  true  one,  not  only  by  the  closest  deduc 
tion  of  reasoning,  but  by  notorious  facts.  One  of  these  was, 
that  the  framers  of  the  Constitution  themselves  left  the  Federal 
Government  unclothed  with  any  powers  of  coercion  over  the 
17 


130  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

States,  not  from  oversight,  but  of  set  purpose.  The  proposal 
to  give  this  power  was  made  by  one,  and  was  rejected  by  the 
rest.  In  this,  the  men  who  were  afterwards  .claimed  as  the  lead 
ers  of  the  party  of  centralization,  such  as  Alexander  Hamilton, 
agreed  precisely  with  the  men  who  thenceforward  asserted  the 
rights  of  the  States,  represented  by  Mr.  Madison.*  All  agreed 
in  declaring,  that  to  give  such  a  power  over  States,  was  inconsis 
tent  with  the  nature  of  the  government  designed,  would  infallibly 
corrupt  it,  and  would  make  it  justly  odious  to  the  States,  and 
impracticable  to  be  maintained,  save  by  the  utter  banishment  of 
republican  freedom  out  of  the  land.  What  more  complete  proof 
is  needed  of  this  truth,  than  the  fact  displayed  in  1SG1,  that  in 
the  very  attempt  to  coerce  States,  the  Constitution  immediately 
perished?  The  Constitution  was  'therefore,  of  purpose,  left 
silent  as  to  any  such  power ;  and  on  the  completion  of  the  docu 
ment,  the  lack  of  it  was  expressly  avowed  in  the  words :  "  The 
powers  not  delegated  to  the  United  States  by  the  Constitution, 
nor  prohibited  by  it  to  the  States,  are  reserved  to  the  States 
respectively,  or  to  the  people." 

Another  fact  was,  that  when  the  State  "of  Virginia,  then  the 
leading  one  in  fame,  power,  and  the  ability  of  her  statesmen,  gave 
her  reluctant  and  chary  adhesion  to  the  Federal  Union,  she 
coupled  it,  in  the  very  act  accepting  the  Constitution,  with  this 
condition :  that  she  should  be  for  ever  free  to  retract  her  adhe 
sion,  whenever  she  found  the  Union  inconvenient,  of  which 
juncture  she  was  to  be  sole  judge ;  and  to  resume  her  separate 
independence,  unmolested.  Her  reception  upon  these  declared 

*  In  the  Convention  on  the  31st  May,  1787,  Madison  declared  that  "  the  use 
of  force  against  a  State  would  be  more  like  a  declaration  of  war,  than  an  inflic 
tion  of  punishment,  and  would  probably  be  considered  by  the  party  attacked, 
as  a  dissolution  of  all  previous  compacts :  a  Union  of  States  containing  such  an 
ingredient  seemed  to  provide  for  its  own  destruction."  In  one  of  the  debates  on 
the  New  York  State  Convention,  Hamilton  said,  "  To  coerce  a  State  would  be 
one  of  the  maddest  projects  ever  devised."  We  have  lived  to  see  an  attempt  to 
coerce  not  one  State  but  eleven. 


SECESSION  IMPLIED  IN  ORIGIN   OP   UNITED   STATES.          131 

terms,  the  only  ones  upon  which  she  would  have  entered,  was 
virtually  a 'promise  that  her  condition  should  be  granted.  Nor 
was  she  the  only  State  which  made  the  same  reservation.  New 
York  and  Rhode  Island,  the  latter  the  smallest,  and  the  former 
the  most  powerful  State,  next  to  Virginia,  both  now  among  the 
covenant-breakers,  which  are  persecuting  the  Old  Dominion  with 
a  malignant  treachery,  for  claiming  her  covenanted  right,  accepted 
the  Union  on  the  same  condition.  Their  admission  on  such 
terms  not  only  seals  their  right  to  retire  at  their  option,  but  also 
demonstrates  that  all  the  other  States  understood  the  compact  as, 
of  course,  implying  such  a  right.  The  attempt  has  been  made  to 
break  the  force  of  this  fact,  by  the  miserable  subterfuge :  That 
Virginia,  New  York,  and  Rhode  Island,  only  stipulated  for  this 
right  to  retire  if  they  found  the  Union  inconvenient,  because 
they  feared  it  might  prove  a  failure ;  and  that  since  its  splendid 
success,  that  condition  had  become  antiquated,  and  expired.  It 
would  be  enough  to  expose  this  unprincipled  sophism,  to  ask,  how 
long  a  time  might  not  be  required  to  demonstrate  that  the  Union 
had  been  successful  ?  Do  not  the  events  which  are  now  transpir 
ing,  keep  that  question  yet  in  suspense:  leading  the  most  ex 
perienced  minds  in  Europe  to  doubt  whether  such  a  scheme  of 
government  is  not  impracticable  ?  But  the  very  point  of  the 
stipulation  made  by  Virginia  was,  that  she  was  to  judge  for  her 
self,  when,  and  how  far,  the  Union  proved  inadequate  to  confer 
those  benefits  she  sought  under  it.  And,  if  anything  further  is 
needed  to  explode  the  wretched  pretext,  it  is  found  in  the  fact, 
that  Virginia  has  always  taken  express  care  that  this  condition 
in  her  covenant  should  not  grow  antiquated,  by  re-affirming  it 
from  time  to  time,  to  this  day,  in  the  most  formal  manner. 

It  is  thus  abundantly  proved  that  the  right  of  the  States  to 
retire  from  the  Federal  Union,  when  the  compact  was  broken, 
was  inherent  in  them;  and  that  the  Constitution  could  neither 


132  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

give  nor  take  away  this  privilege.  The  same  thing  appears 
equally  from  the  manner  in  which  the  Colonies  first  acquired 
their  independence.  Their  revolution  was  a  secession  from  the 
British  Empire.  They  declared  themselves  to  be  the  only  right 
ful  judges  of  its  necessity.  So  that  every  shadow  of  claim  which 
they  have  to  their  present  position  is  derived  from  the  doctrine 
that  the  people  of  a  commonwealth  are  entitled  to  change  their 
form  of  government  whenever  they  judge  it  necessary  for  their 
welfare.  Nothing,  therefore,  can  be  more  monstrous  than  the 
attempt  of  the  States  of  the  North  to  obstruct  the  exercise  of 
this  right  by  an  inhuman  war  j  when  it  is  only  by  its  exercise 
that  they  themselves  exist. 

Once  more ;  the  formation  of  the  United  States  under  their 
present  Constitution,  was  an  act  of  secession  from  the  confed 
eration  previously  existing.  It  was  made  all  the  more  glaring 
by  the  fact,  that  the  articles  of  Confederation  had  very  recently 
been  perfected,  and  had  been  accepted  by  all  the  States,  with 
the  express  injunction  —  "And  the  Union  shall  be  perpetual." 
That  confederation  did  not  dissolve  itself:  it  did  not  grant  its 
members  leave  to  desert  it,  and  form  a  new  combination ;  on 
the  contrary,  it  claimed  an  immortal  existence.  Yet  one,  and 
another,  and  another  State  deserted  it  to  enter  the  new  Union, 
when  it  saw  fit ;  and  one,  Rhode  Island,  did  not  transfer  itself 
from  the  old  compact  to  the  new,  for  three  years.  Yet  neither 
the  new  nor  the  old  conic  deration  dreamed  of  assailing  the 
other :  both  recognized  the  sovereign  rights  of  the  States,  to 
secede  or  to  accede.  Accession  to  the  new  could  only  take  place, 
by  means  of  secession  from  the  old  Union ;  which  had  precisely 
the  same  claims  to  the  adhesion  of  its  members.  So  that,  when 
Washington  and  his  illustrious  associates  of  the  Convention  of 
1787,  proposed  a  new  Constitution  to  the  States,  they  were 
proposing  secession. 


OBJECTIONS  BEFITTED.  133 

It  is  plain,  then,  that  to  speak  of  a  State  committing  treason 
against  the  Government  of  the  United  States,  is  just  as  absurd 
as  to  describe  a  parent  as  being  guilty  of  insubordination  to  his 
son.  There  might  be  injustice  or  violence ;  there  could  be  no 
treason.  To  speak  of  resistance  organized  by  the  sovereign 
States  against  the  Federal  Government  as  rebellion,  is  prepos 
terous.  It  was  just  as  easy  for  Great  Britain  to  rebel  against 
Austria,  while  they  were  members  of  the  great  coalition  against 
Napoleon.  He  who  pretends  to  liken  the  secession  of  Virginia 
from  the  Union,  to  a  rebellion  of  the  county  of  York  or  Kent 
against  the  British  throne,  a  simile  advanced  by  the  chief 
magistrate  of  the  United  States  himself,  is  either  uttering 
stupid  nonsense  or  profligate  falsehood;  for  the  relations  in 
the  two  cases  have  no  ground  in  common,  on  which  the 
pretended  analogy  can  rest.  What  English  county  possessed 
sovereignty  or  independence,  or  in  the  exercise  of  such  powers 
entered  into  any  union  or  confederation  ? 

It  is  objected  again,  that  the  admission  of  the  right  to  retire 
from  the  Union  renders  its  authority  a  rope  of  sand,  and  its 
character  as  a  government  a  mere  simulacrum,  which  dissolves 
at  the  first  touch  of  resistance.  The  triumphant  reply  of  Vir 
ginians  is,  that  our  State  has  always  had  this  right  as  a  condi 
tion  of  her  membership  in  the  Union ;  and  yet  this  Government 
was  to  her,  for  eighty  years,  anything  else  than  a  "rope  of 
sand."  It  was  a  bond  which  held  her  for  that  period  in  firm 
affection  and  loyalty,  which  nothing  but  the  most  ruthless  des 
potism  could  relax,  which  retained  its  strength  even  when  it  was 
binding  the  State  to  her  incipient  dishonor  and  destruction.  It 
is  a  strange  and  disgraceful  proposition  to  be  asserted  by  Re 
publicans,  that  no  force  is  a  real  force  except  that  which  is  sus 
tained  by  an  inexorable  physical  power.  It  would  seem  that, 
with  its  assertors,  honor,  covenants,  oaths,  affections,  enlightened 


134  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

self-interest,  are  only  a  rope  of  sand.  The  truth  is,  that  the 
physical  power  of  even  the  most  iron  despotisms  reposes  on 
moral  forces,  and  if  these  are  withdrawn  from  beneath,  the 
most  rigid  tyranny  becomes  but  a  simulacrum,  which  dissolves  at 
the  touch  of  resistance.  How  much  more,  then,  must  all  free 
governments  be  founded  on  the  affections,  the  common  interests, 
and  the  consent  of  the  governed?  While  the  Government  of 
the  United  States  conciliated  these,  it  was  strong  and>  efficient 
for  good;  when  they  were  gone,  it  became  impotent  for  good, 
and  existed  only  for  evil.  This  was  all  the  strength  which  its 
founders  ever  meant  to  assign  it,  or  which  its  nature  permitted ; 
if  this  species  of  strength  failed  it,  then  that  fact  was  the  evi 
dence  that  it  had  ceased  to  fulfil  the  purposes  of  its  creation, 
and  ought  to  perish. 

It  has  been  urged,  that  if  the  right  be  denied  to  the  United 
States  to  coerce  a  seceding  State,  it  is  equivalent  to  the  absurd 
proposition,  that  the  Union  never  had  any  other  title  to  the  alle 
giance  of  any  State  than  its  own  caprice  chose  to  yield  it ;  that 
unless  the  right  forcibly  to  resist  secession  is  granted  to  the 
former,  the  right  to  withdraw  for  any  cause,  or  for  no  cause,  is 
asserted  for  the  latter.  This  dilemma  was  charged  upon  Mr. 
Buchanan,  the  last  President  of  the  United  States,  when  he  ven 
tured  to  reaffirm  the  established  doctrine  of  the  Constitution, 
that  it  gave  Congress  no  power  to  coerce  a  State.  Such  pre 
tended  reasoners  can  never  have  heard  of  the  well-known  class 
of  imperfect  rights  in  ethics ;  they  cannot  conceive  that  a  suffer 
ing  Christian  may  have  a  claim  in  morals  upon  the  alms  of  his 
fellow- Christian,  and  yet  not  have  a  moral  right  to  take  relief 
by  force  of  arms.  The  right  of  the  United  States  to  the  adhe 
sion  of  the  States,  while  the  compact  with  them  was  faithfully 
kept,  was  precisely  one  of  these  imperfect  rights.  Their  inher 
ent  right  to  withdraw  for  just  cause,  and  to  judge  for  themselves 


OBJECTIONS  KEFUTED.  135 

when  that  cause  exists,  does  not  imply  a  right  to  withdraw  for 
no  cause,  or  for  a  trivial  cause,  any  more  than  the  fact  that  the 
Christian  must  be  left  free  in  giving  alms  to  the  distressed,  im 
plies  that  he  has  a  right  to  withhold  alms  from  every  person, 
however  distressed.  It  is  asked  what  guarantee  the  Union 
would  then  have  against  the  secession  of  its  members  for  trivial 
causes,  or  mere  caprice  ?  The  answer  is :  It  would  have  as 
guarantee  the  force  of  public  opinion,  habits,  and  affections,' 
and  above  all,  the  fact  that  in  every  capricious  secession  the 
larger  share  of  the  inconveniences  would  fall  upon  the  seceding 
member.  If  the  Federal.  Government  were  equitable  and  ben 
eficent,  this  safeguard  would  be  always  omnipotent. 

Akin  to  this  is  the  objection,  that  if  the  Union  may  not  forcibly 
prevent  the  secession  of  a  State,  then  it  has  no  rightful  mode  of 
self-protection  against  any  wrongful  acts  which  the  departing 
member  may  commit  in  her  exit,  such  as  appropriating  the 
common  property,  or  against  any  detrimental  or  even  destructive 
use  which  she  may  make  of  her  independence  afterwards.  But 
is  not  this  State,  the  moment  she  resumes  her  separate  indepen 
dence,  bound  by  the  comity  of  nations  to  her  former  partners,  as 
any  other  nation  is  ?  Just  as  any  other  independent  neighbor 
may  be  required  so  to  exercise  its  sovereignty  as  not  to  infringe 
the  sovereignty  of  others,  in  the  same  way  may  she  be,  even  by 
force  of  arms.  But  then  the  coercion  must  be  applied  only  to 
compel  her  to  act  as  a  just  equal  and  neighbor ;  not  to  enforce 
by  violence  a  union  which,  in  its  very  nature,  can  only  be  volun 
tary. 

The  clamor  concerning  the  inconvenience  and  loss  which  the 
remaining  United  States  experience  by  the  just  secession  of  a 
part,  in  the  diminution  of  territory,  departure  from  natural 
boundaries,  severance  of  rivers  and  mountain  chains,  and 
interruptions  of  advantageous  commerce,  admits  of  an  easy 


136  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

answer  to  any  honest  mind.  In  all  this,  the  North  is  but  paying 
the  righteous  penalty  of  the  wrongs  which  justify  the  secession 
of  the  South.  If  the  former  does  not  like  the  loss,  why  did  it 
commit  the  crime  ?  Do  the  territories,  the  boundaries,  the 
mountains,  the  rivers  of  Virginia  belong  to  her,  or  do  they 
belong  to  a  parcel  of  States  without  her,  which  never  claimed  to 
be  more  than  her  co-ordinates  ? 

An  excellent  proof  of  the  justice  of  all  these  reasonings  may 
be  seen  in  the  fact,  that  the  most  of  those  politicians  at  the 
North  who  now  deny  them,  were  the  violent  assertors  of  them, 
when  they  considered  themselves  aggrieved.  So  obvious  were 
they,  that  the  most  did  not  dare  to  deny  their  application  to  the 
Southern  States,  in  case  they  demanded  the  right  of  withdrawal. 
The  general  opinion  was,  that  in  that  case  the  Constitution 
would  require  them  to  allow  us  to  go  in  peace.  But  after  the 
thirst  for  plunder  and  revenge  was  awakened,  and  frantic 
passions  had  seized  on  the  minds  of  the  North,  all  this  was 
changed,  and  sophistical  pretexts  were  sought  for  war. 

Such  were  the  doctrines  which  the  party  of  the  States'  rights 
had  always  maintained,  and  to  which  Major  Jackson  was  com 
mitted  by  the  firmest  convictions.  If  they  appear  to  the  reader 
to  present  the  conception  of  a  government  very  singular,  very 
far  removed  from  all  European  ideas,  or  even  very  impracticable, 
still,  if  he  has  a  particle  of  fairness  of  mind,  he  will  see,  at  a 
glance,  that  his  estimate  of  the  government  has  nothing  what 
ever  to  do  with  the  righteousness  or  propriety  of  the  action 
taken  by  the  advocates  of  States'  rights.  This  species  of  fed 
eration,  bo  it  wise  or  foolish,  good  or  bad,  was  the  one  to  which 
they  were  actually  bound  in  covenant.  This,  and  no  other  form 
of  government,  was  what  they  had  pledged  themselves  to  obey. 
In  this  way  they  had  uniformly  explained  the  obligations  which 
they  considered  themselves  as  assuming.  This  explanation  had 


FEDERAL   USURPATIONS.  137 

been  at  first  accepted  by  all  parties ;  Virginia,  declaring  it  in 
the  sovereign  act  by  which  she  made  herself  a  member  of  the 
Federal  Union,  and  repeating  it  in  her  famous  resolutions  of 
1798-99,  had  never  ceased  to  reiterate  her  claims;  and  in  this 
she  had  been  followed  by  the  other  Southern  States,  her  sisters 
and  daughters. 

Secession,  then,  was  no  dishonest  after-thought,  suggested  by 
a  growing  sectional  ambition,  but  the  ancient,  righteous  remedy, 
to  which  the  Southern  States  were  reluctantly  driven,  by  a  long 
course  of  treachery  and  oppression.  Ever  since  1820,  they  had 
seen  with  grief  that  the  true  balance  of  the  Constitution  was 
overthrown,  the  Government  centralized,  and  the  rights  of  the 
States  engrossed  by  the  Federal  Congress.  It  was  equally  clear 
that  the  practical  advantages  of  these  usurpations  were  all  inur 
ing  to  the  North  against  the  South.  A  bounty  on  fisheries  was 
granted  from  the  first,  which  was  as  plainly  for  the  partial 
advantage  of  New  England,  as  though  the  tax-gatherer  had, 
with  his  own  hand,  plucked  the  money  out  of  the  pockets  of  the 
rest  of  the  citizens,  to  place  it  in  theirs.  This  bounty,  varying 
from  one  to  two  millions  annually,  and  continued  for  eighty 
years,  will  account  for  the  transfer  of  many  hundreds  of  millions 
to  New  England  from  the  other  States.  The  Northern  were 
maritime  States ;  the  Southern  were,  by  population,  climate, 
habits,  and  geographical  position,  inclined  to  agricultural  pur 
suits.  A  code  of  navigation  laws  was  immediately  passed, 
which  operated  as  a  perpetual  tax  on  Southern  industry,  for  the 
bribing  of  Northern  adventure  upon  the  seas.  Under  the  first 
President,  the  Constitution  was  violated  by  the  assumption  of  a 
power  in  Congress  to  create  an  overshadowing  Banking  cor 
poration,  -with  special  privileges,  within  the  territory  of  a  State; 
and  this  bank  being,  moreover,  immediately  employed  as  the 
agent  for  funding  and  paying  the  Federal  debt  contracted  for 

18 


138  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

the  War  of  Independence;  at  once,  and  irrevocably,  removed  the 
financial  centre  from  the  Southern  States,  the  richer  portion,  and 
paying  the  larger  share  of  the  taxes,  to  the  poorer  North,  which 
paid  less.  A  system  of  partial  taxation  by  tariffs  was  also  com 
menced,  for  a  motive  glaringly  unconstitutional,  namely,  to  foster 
local  enterprises  for  home  manufactures,  seated  almost  exclu 
sively  in  the  Northern  and  Middle  States.  These  tariffs  were 
constantly  pressed  to  a  more  exorbitant  height,  throwing 
millions  of  unequal  burden  annually  upon  the  South ;  and 
never  for  one  moment  were  they  removed,  although  sometimes 
they  received  a  momentary  and  deceitful  relaxation,  when  the 
South  seemed  about  to  awake  to  a  stern  demand  for  justice. 

But  the  chief  sectional  outrage  was  that  aimed  against  the 
property  of  the  Southern  States  in  the  labor  of  the  African  race, 
held  to  servitude  within  them.  As  soon  as  the  Confederation 
began  to  acquire  new  territory,  the  Northern  States  disclosed  a 
fixed  purpose  of  sectional  aggrandizement  therein,  by  means  of 
the  general  and  ignorant  prejudice  against  the  African  race, 
and  the  institution  of  slavery.  Finding  African  labor  unsuited 
to  their  climate,  they  had  extinguished  slavery  among  themselves 
from  motives  purely  pecuniary,  not  generally  by  the  emancipation 
of  their  slaves,  but  by  selling  them  to  the  South.  And  the  ten 
dency  of  the  landless  population  of  Europe  to  flow  to  the 
Western  Continent,  showed  them  an  indefinite  supply  of  labor, 
population,  and  wealth;  while  a  relative  expansion  of  the 
Southern  States  was  absolutely  forbidden  by  the  extinction  of  the 
slave-trade;  a  measure  in  which  the  South  heartily  concurred, 
against  their  obvious  sectional  interests,  because  of  their  con 
viction  of  the  immorality  of  the  traffic.  The  plan  of  the  North 
was  to  engross  the  whole  of  the  new  territories  for  their  popula 
tion,  by  the  exclusion  of  African  labor ;  and  the  contest,  which 
began  from  the  very  first,  was  never  relaxed.  But  the  South 


KANSAS-NEBRASKA  LAW.  139 

was  then  too  powerful  to  be  oppressed  with  entire  success.  After 
a  threatening  contest  in  1820,  concerning  the  admission  of  Mis 
souri  as  a  slave  State,  she  was  received  as  such;  but  the  South 
unwisely  permitted  her  entrance  to  be  coupled  with  an  enact 
ment,  that  thenceforward  all  territory  to  the  north  of  the  Southern 
boundary  of  that  State,  latitude  36°  30',  must  be  settled  by  white 
labor,  while  the  remnant  to  the  south  of  it  might  be  settled  by 
slave-labor.  But  in  1849,  upon  the  acquisition*  of  new  territory 
from  Mexico,  the  State  of  California  was  immediately  closed 
against  the  South,  though  lying  in  part  south  of  that  line ;  and 
the  intention  was  boldly  declared  thenceforward  to  engross  the 
whole  territory  for  the  North.  So  flagrant  a  wrong,  coupled 
with  the  perpetual  agitation  of  abolition  in  the  States,  and  the 
perpetual,  unrestrained  theft  of  slaves  by  Northern  interlopers, 
naturally  inflamed  the  resistance  of  the  South  to  an  alarming 
height.  After  many  discussions,  a  delusive  pacification  was  made, 
chiefly  through  the  influence  of  the  veteran  politician,  Henry 
Clay,  and  Senator  Douglas  of  Illinois.  The  sum  of  the  measures 
adopted,  under  their  advocacy  at  different  times,  was,  that,  on  the 
one  hand,  the  South  should  acquiesce  in  engrossments  of  terri 
tory  already  committed,  and  that,  on  the  other,  laws  should  be 
passed,  in  accordance  with  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States, 
to  prevent  negro-stealing.  As  to  the  territory  yet  lying  unap 
propriated,  the  Missouri  Compromise  (of  1820)  was  declared  to 
be,  as  it  was  indeed,  unconstitutional  and  null ;  and  the  apparently 
fair  principle  was  adopted,  of  leaving  the  common  territory  open 
to  immigration  from  all  sections  alike,  and  allowing  the  people 
settled  there  to  decide  for  themselves,  whether  the  State  which 
grew  up  should  exclude  African  labor  or  not.  The  latter  subject 
was  apparently  disposed  of  in  the  Kansas-Nebraska  law,  the 
favorite  project  of  Senator  Douglas. 

But  no  sooner  was  this  law  passed,  than  the  South  found  that, 


140  LIFE   OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

while  it  "  kept  the  word  of  promise  to  the  ear/'  it  was  designed 
"  to  break  it  to  the  sense."  The  whole  free-soil  party,  a  majority 
of  the  whole  North,  openly  proclaimed  that  they  disdained  to 
obey  it ;  just  as  the  whole  Abolition  party,  now  nearly  a  majority, 
defied  the  law  against  negro-stealing.  (Here  was  an  instance 
of  insubordination,  sufficient  of  itself  to  justify  the  secession  of 
the  South.)  But  more:  under  the  Kansas-Nebraska  law,  the 
practical  question  immediately  emerged :  How,  and  when,  the 
people  settling  upon  a  common  territory  should  exercise  the 
discretion  of  determining  whether  African  labor  should  have 
place  in  the  State  there  growing  ?  The  one  party,  aptly  called 
that  of  squatter-sovereignty,  said  that  they  should  wield  this 
power  as  soon  as  they  began  to  assemble  there.  This  assured 
the  victory  in  every  case  to  the  North,  because  landless  free 
labor  will,  of  course,  ever  anticipate  capital  and  slave  labor  in 
mobility.  The  other  party,  including  all  the  South,  said,  with 
obvious  truth,  that  the  people  of  the  new  State  could  only 
exercise  the  power  of  deciding  for  or  against  the  African  labor, 
when  they  became  a  State,  a  true  populus,  a  full  formed  political 
society.  To  claim  the  opposite,  was  to  make  the  rights  of 
American  citizens — rights  recognized  by  both  State  and  Federal 
Constitutions  —  dependent  on  the  caprice  of  any  rabble  of 
paupers,  foreigners,  and  free  negroes,  the  majority  of  whom 
would  probably  not  be  citizens  at  all,  assembled  by  sufferance 
upon  the  common  domain.  These  territories,  they  argued,  were 
the  joint  property  of  the  United  States;  and,  therefore,  while 
held  as  such,  should  be  administered  (as  usual  in  the  case  of 
territories)  by  Congress,  for  the  impartial  benefit  of  all  the 
owners.  No  man  becomes  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  save 
as  he  is  the  citizen  of  some  State.  To  the  citizens  of  all  the 
States,  therefore,  those  territories  should  belong ;  and  whenever 
any  of  these  chose  to  exercise  his  right  of  emigrating  to  a  new 


KANSAS-NEBRASKA  LAW.  141 

part  of  the  common  domain,  it  was  the  duty  of  Congress  to 
follow  his  person  and  all  his  lawful  possessions,  with  the  impar 
tial  shield  of  legal  protection.  The  same  equal  measure  should 
be  meted  out  to  the  clock-factory  of  the  Connecticut  man,  and 
the  African  labor  of  the  Carolinian,  when  transported  to  the 
common  domain.  And  this  would  not  be  intrusion  into  the 
sovereignty  of  a  new  State,  as  to  its  admitting  or  excluding 
African  labor ;  because  the  moment  it  becomes  a  State,  Congress 
withdraws,  and  leaves  it,  if  it  sees  fit,  to  expel  every  African  from 
its  borders.  The  South  saw  clearly  enough,  that  if  this  just  view 
prevailed,  they  would  still  win  no  practical  gain  but  merely  pre 
serving  their  honor.  The  emigration  of  white  labor  is  mobile, 
quick,  adventurous ;  that  of  the  slave-owner  is  cautious,  sensitive, 
and  slow.  The  North,  by  virtue  of  its  actual  numerical  superior 
ity,  and  its  European  immigration,  stood  ready  to  pour  in  thou 
sands,  where  the  South  could  only  furnish  hundreds,  for  the  new 
lands.  The  South  had  disinterestedly  cut  off  its  corresponding 
means  of  increase,  by  assenting  to,  and  even  demanding  the  ex 
tinction  of  the  African  slave-trade.  Hence,  it  well  knew,  that,  in 
claiming  the  constitutional  construction  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska 
law,  it  was  making  a  demand  which  could  save  it  nothing  but 
its  rights ;  and  that,  practically,  every  territory,  .fertile  enough 
to  be  worth  seeking,  would  henceforward  be  occupied  by  exclu 
sive  white  labor,  and  belong  to  the  North.  They  could  justly 
inquire  of  the  latter,  "  Why  enforce  a  useless  aggression,  to  win 
what  is  already  virtually  yours,  where  the  only  actual  result  is 
to  fix  a  stigma  of  subjection  upon  us,  your  constitutional  equals  ? 
Is  it  to  teach  us  significantly  that  henceforth  we  are  to  be  your 
slaves  ?  "  But  the  odious  construction  was  generally  adopted 
by  the  North ;  and  at  length,  even  the  author  of  the  law,  Senator 
Douglas,  deserted  his  own  ground,  and  accepted  it,  becoming 
thus  the  leader  of  the  larger  number  of  Northern  Democrats. 


142  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENEEAL  JACKSOX. 

The  long  course  of  usurpation  and  aggression  has  now  been 
traced  near  to  its  culminating  point.  The  lawless  events  in 
Kansas  helped  to  illustrate  these  differences,  and  to  embitter 
the  passions ;  but  their  description  need  not  detain  us.  Mean 
time,  the  children  of  the  South  may  say  with  pride  and  truth, 
that,  on  their  side,  the  covenant  of  the  Confederation  was 
always  observed.  There  have  been  at  the  South  many  corrupt, 
and  some  factious  persons.  Individuals  have  often  asserted 
Southern  rights  in  an  intemperate,  and  sometimes  in  a  wicked 
mode.  But  it  will  ever  remain  the  glory  of  the  South,  that  in 
no  instance  did  any  Southern  State,  or  prevalent  political  party 
of  the  South,  ever  commit  itself  to  any  usurpation  of  power, 
through  the  Federal  Government,  to  any  sectional  ends,  or  to 
any  unconstitutional  breach  of  the  compact  with  the  other 
sections,  save  perhaps  in  the  instance  of  nullification — a  defen 
sive  one.  Our  detractors  are  defied  to  produce  from  history 
one  exception  to  this  illustrious  record.  Moreover,  although 
the  South  knew  that  the  Federal  institutions  were  all  working 
partially,  and  against  them,  they  constantly  sustained  the  honor 
and  common  interests  of  the  Confederation,  with  a  loyalty 
unknown  at  the  North ;  pouring  out  their  blood  in  every  war, 
and  perpetually  contributing,  from  their  scantier  resources,  the 
major  part  of  the  support  of  the  Government.  They  were  con 
servative  by  temper,  and  determined  to  be  faithful  to  their 
engagements  to  the  end. 

The  reader  will  now  be  prepared  to  understand  the  political 
conclusions  adopted  by  Major  Jackson,  in  common  with  the  most 
of  his  fellow-citizens.  Secession  has  been  so  often  charged 
upon  us  as  a  grave  crime,  that  the  defence  of  his  memory 
demands  these  explanations.  The  chief  lesson  of  his  life  would 
be  neglected,  were  not  the  solution  of  the  fact  given,— that  the 
purest  and  holiest  of  men  became  the  hero  of  the  war  for 


THE  JOHN  BROWN  RAID.  143 

Southern  independence.  The  statement  has  been  insinuated  that- 
Jackson  was  seduced  by  factitious  influences  into  the  advocacy 
of  a  cause  condemned  by  his  own  conscience ;  but  the  assertion 
that  he  was  capable  of  this  is  a  slander  equally  against  his  head 
and  his  heart.  His  political  opinions  were  maturely  formed, 
and  were  exceedingly  fixed.  Few  who  witnessed  the  deferential 
silence  with  which  he  listened  to  the  talk  of  more  dogmatical 
acquaintances,  were  aware  how  distinct  and  firm  his  conclu 
sions  were.  He  was  pre-eminently  given  to  forming  his  own 
rcsglves.  especially  upon  every  question  of  duty;  and,  even 
where  he  listened  to  advice,  it  was  weighed  with  a  sturdy 
independence  equal  to  his  politeness.  In  1856,  the  question  of 
free-soil  had  assumed  somewhat  of  its  angry  importance,  and 
the  defection  of  the  professed  supporters  of  the  rights  of  the 
States  at  the  North  had  begun,  under  the  pretext  of  squatter- 
sovereignty.  To  the  few  friends  to  whom  Jackson  spoke  of  his 
own  opinions,  he  then  declared  that  the  South  ought  to  take  its 
stand  upon  the  outer  verge  of  its  just  rights,  and  there  resist 
aggression,  if  necessary,  by  the  sword;  that,  while  it  should  do 
nothing  beyond  the  limits  of  strict  righteousness  to  provoke 
bloodshed,  yet  any  surrender  of  principle  whatever,  to  such 
adversaries  as  ours,  would  be  mischievous. 

In  the  Fall  of  1859,  the  first  angry  drops  of  the  deluge  of 
blood  which  was  approaching,  fell  upon  the  soil  of  Virginia. 
The  event  known  as  the  John  Brown  Raid  occurred  at  Harper's 
Ferry,  in  which  that  Border  assassin  endeavored  to  excite  a 
servile  insurrection  and  civil  war,  from  that  point.  He  and  all 
his  accomplices,  save  one,  were  either  slain,  or  expiated  their 
crime  upon  the  scaffold.  As  his  rescue  was  loudly  threatened, 
a  military  force  was  mustered  at  Charleston,  the  seat  of  justice 
for  Jefferson  county,  to  protect  the  officers  of  the  law  in 
the  exercise  of  their  functions.  Virginia  then  had  scarcely 


144  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

any  regular  force,  except  the  cadets  of  her  military  school. 
They  with  their  officers  were  accordingly  ordered  to  this  place ; 
and  Major  Jackson  went  with  them,  leading  his  battery  of  light 
pieces.  His  command,  while  there,  was  conspicuous  for  its  per 
fect  drill  and  subordination ;  and  he  diligently  improved  their 
time,  in  manoeuvring  them  upon  the  roughest  ground  to  be 
selected  in  that  beautiful  region.  He  was  a  spectator  of  the 
stoical  death  of  Brown,  and  gave  his  friends  a  graphic  account 
of  the  scene. 

This  mad  attempt  of  a  handful  of  vulgar  cutthroats,  and  its 
condign  punishment,  would  have  been  a  very  trivial  affair  to  the 
Southern  people,  but  for  the  manner  in  which  it  was  regarded 
by  the  people  of  the  North.  Their  presses,  pulpits,  public 
meetings  and  conversations,  disclosed  such  a  hatred  to  the  South 
and  its  institutions,  as  to  lead  them  to  justify  the  crime,  involv 
ing  though  it  did  the  most  aggravated  robbery,  treason,  and 
murder  •  to  deny  the  right  of  Virginia  to  punish  it ;  to  vilify  the 
State  in  consequence  with  torrents  of  abuse  perfectly  demoni 
acal  j  to  threaten  loudly  the  assassination  of  her  magistrates  for 
the  performance  of  their  duty;  and  to  exalt  the  blood-thirsty 
fanatic  who  led  the  party,  to  a  public  apotheosis.  The  pretext 
for  this  astounding  outrage  upon  public  opinion  was,  that  it  was 
the  right  of  masters  to  property  in  the  labor  of  their  slaves, 
which  John  Brown  sought  to  assail  through  this  career  of  rapine 
and  blood ;  a  right,  nevertheless,  recognized  by  the  laws  of  nearly 
every  State  in  the  Union,  when  at  least  as  virtuous  and  Christian 
as  now ;  by  the  laws  of  Virginia,  and  by  the  Federal  Constitu 
tion  itself,  to  which  all  alike  avowed  a  common  allegiance.  And 
while  this  insult  was  eagerly  given  by  every  professed  Abolition 
ist,  they  were  seconded  by  so  many  of  the  free-soil  party,  that  it 
was  doubtful  if  the  secret  sympathizers  did  not  constitute  a 
majority  of  the  Northern  people.  When  the  people  of  tho 


SCHISM   OF   THE   DEMOCRATS.  145 

South  witnessed  these  things,  it  caused  a  shock  of  grief  and  indig 
nation.  The  most  sober  men  saw  in  the  event,  insignificant  in 
itself,  a  symptom  of  momentous  importance,  and  recognized  the 
truth  that  the  grand  collision  was  near  at  hand.  Loyalty  to 
the  Union  was,  however,  still  unbroken ;  and  the  purpose  was 
universal,  to  act  only  on  the  defensive,  and  to  fulfil  to  the  end 
every  obligation  of  the  Constitution. 

Major  Jackson  spent  the  summer  vacation  of  18 GO  in  New 
England,  in  the  pursuit  of  health.  On  his  return,  he  said  he 
had  seen  and  heard  quite  enough  in  the  North,  to  justify  the 
division  which  had  just  occurred  in  the  Democratic  party,  and 
which  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  Douglas  and  the  election  of 
Lincoln;  a  division,  he  predicted,  which  would  render  the 
dissolution  of  the  Union  inevitable.  This  great  schism  among 
the  Democrats  was  perfected  in  the  spring  of  1860,  when 
they  met  in  the  city  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  in  grand 
caucus,  to  select  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  President,  to  be 
presented  for  the  votes  of  their  party.  The  two  sections  then 
pressed  their  rival  interpretations  of  the  Kansas-Nebraska  law, 
which  had  been  left  ambiguous  by  the  similar  caucus  in 
Cincinnati,  four  years  before.  The  Democrats  of  the  South 
demanded  that  the  party  should  propose  no  candidate,  unless 
he  held  their  view,  that  the  people  of  a  territory  should  not 
interfere  with  slavery  in  the  public  domains  until  they  became 
a  sovereign  State ;  and  that,  meantime,  African  labor  and  white 
labor  should  enjoy  common  and  equal  privileges.  The  Demo 
crats  of  the  North,  with  a  few  exceptions,  boldly  avowed  the 
doctrine  of  squatter-sovereignty.  Various  attempts  were  made 
at  conciliation,  but  the  utmost  which  the  Northern  party  would 
concede  was,  a  promise  to  abide  by  the  decision  which  might  be 
made  upon  that  question  afterwards,  by  the  Supreme  Court  of 
the  United  States.  This  was  rejected  as  nugatory,  because  that 

19 


146  LIFE  OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

Court  had  already  decided,  in  the  famous  Dred-Scott  case,  as  in 
others,  that  the  legislature  of  the  settlers  in  a  territory  had  no 
right  to  impair  the  property  of  citizens  of  the  United  States  in 
their  slaves,  residing  among  them ;  and  that  it  was  the  duty 
of  the  Federal  Government,  in  all  its  departments,  to  protect 
these  rights  of  its  citizens.  If  those  partisans  had  ever  intended 
to  be  governed  by  the  authority  of  that  pure  and  exalted 
tribunal,  these  questions  would  have  been  already  settled  for 
them;  and  the  hope  which  they  harbored  was  manifest,  so  to 
change  the  membership  of  that  Court,  in  time,  as  to  exact  of  it 
an  ex  parte  decision  which  would  strip  the  South  of  all  legal 
defences.  After  a  stormy  discussion  and  an  adjournment  to 
Baltimore,  the  caucus  was  severed  into  two  fragments,  of  which 
the  Southern,  with  a  few  Northern  Democrats,  nominated  John 
C.  Breckinridge  of  Kentucky,  then  the  vice-President ;  and  the 
other,  Senator  Douglas.  To  the  former  of  these,  called  Breck 
inridge  Democrats,  Major  Jackson  adhered  yith  his  usual  quiet 
decision,  speaking  little  concerning  his  political  opinions,  save 
to  a  few  intimates,  but  voting  in  every  case  for  men  of  this 
shade  of  opinion. 

Meantime  the  party  of  the  free  soil,  or  as  they  called 
themselves  Republicans  (impudently  assuming  the  name  of  the 
party  founded  by  Jefferson,  whose  every  principle  in  Federal 
politics  they  outraged !)  nominated  a  purely  sectional  ticket, 
headed  by  Abraham  Lincoln  of  Illinois.  Their  opponents  called 
them  Black  Republicans ;  aptly  expressing  at  once  their  ncgro- 
philism,  and  the  monstrous  nature  of  their  pretensions.  Their 
platform  of  principles  embodied,  on  the  old  issues  of  politics,  the 
most  oppressive  Federal  usurpations ;  and  on  the  question  of  the 
rights  of  the  South  in  the  common  domain  (the  territory  out  of 
which  future  States,  should  be  formed),  roundly  declared  that  the 
North  should  henceforward  engross  absolutely  the  whole.  It  is 


BLACK  REPUBLICAN  PLATFORM.  147 

true  that  they  proposed  to  appease  the  alarm  of  the  South,  by 
declaring  that  the  Federal  Government  had  no  power  to  interfere 
directly  with  slavery  in  the  States.  But  how  little  solace  any 
reasonable  mind  would  discover  in  this  deceptive  pledge  could 
be  seen  in  the  fact,  that  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Seward,  who, 
though  not  the  candidate,  was  the  coryphaus  of  the  party,  had 
declared  that  these  United  States  could  not  exist  part  free  and 
part  slave ;  that  there  was  an  irrepressible  conflict  between  the 
two  systems ;  and  that  slavery  in  the  States  must  therefore  be 
put  under  a  process  of  extinction.  He  was  simply  a  fool  who 
could  not  sec  what  all  this  meant  in  the  mouths  of  the  advocates 
of  a  pretended  "higher  law;"  which  these  men  interpreted  into 
a  license  to  violate  their  own  official  oaths,  and  to  disobey  the 
precepts  of  a  constitution  they  had  sworn  to  support,  where 
they  were  adverse  to  their  prejudices ;  while  they  swallowed  its 
emoluments,  and  enforced  the  parts  advantageous  to  themselves 
against  their  fellow-citizens  with  unrelenting  rigor;  and  all 
under  pretence  of  conscience  for  God's  revealed  law.  This, 
doctrine  Mr.  Seward  had  openly  proclaimed  from  his  place  as  a 
Senator;  and  it  had  been  generally  accepted  as  the  ethics  of 
the  party.  The  whole  amount  of  the  guarantee  which  the 
Lincoln  platform  gave  the  South  was,  that  the  Black  Republi 
cans,  if  victors,  would  refrain  from  issuing  an  immediate  edict 
of  abolition,  in  glaring  violation  of  the  Constitution.  But,  after 
depressing  and  weakening  the  South  for  a  few  years,  by  other 
usurpations  and  exactions,  and  plying  against  slaveholders  all 
the  artillery  of  Federal  power,  it  was  expected  that  she  would 
become  too  weak  to  resist  an  amendment  of  that  Constitution, 
laying  all  her  rights  at  the  feet  of  the  tyrant  section.  Indeed, 
this  plan  was  everywhere  proclaimed  by  the  populace,  more 
candid  than  their  demagogues.  Another  significant  fact  was 
that  the  open  Abolitionists,  who  had  previously  run  their  own 


148  LIFE   OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

candidate  for  President,  giving  him  at  each  quadrennial  period 
a  small,  but  increasing  vote,  now  went  over  in  a  body  to  the 
support  of  Lincoln. 

The  result  of  the  election,  held  in  November,  1860,  was  that 
Lincoln  became  President  by  a  vote  of  the  States  strictly  sec 
tional  (i.  e.y  not  a  single  State  in  the  South  voted  for  him),  and 
in  the  North  he  failed  to  carry  New  Jersey.  Of  the  popular 
vote  he  received  about  1,800.000,  while  Douglas  received  about 
1,276,000,  and  Mr.  Breckinridge. 812,000.  The  Whig  party, 
retaining  their  old  organization,  cast  about  735,000  votes  for 
Senator  Bell  of  Tennessee.  Thus  the  popular  vote  for  Lincoln 
included  less  than  half  of  all  the  citizens ;  and  that  for  Douglas, 
if  joined  to  that  for  Mr.  Breckinridge,  would  have  been  larger 
than  the  vote  for  Lincoln.  But  this  fact  brought  no  consolation 
to  the  South.  The  party  of  squatter-sovereignty  in  the  North 
had  also  become  manifestly  a  free-soil  party.  It  was  true  they 
used  the  delusive  catch-word  of  non-intervention  with  slavery; 
and  adduced  the  specious  plea  of  "  popular  sovereignty "  to 
cloak  the  odious  pretension,  that  an  accidental  rabble  of  adven 
turers,  who  might  probably  not  be  citizens  at  all,  should  over 
step  the  sacred  authority  of  Constitution,  Congress,  Supreme 
Court,  and  sovereign  States,  to  trample  upon  a  right  of  recog 
nized  citizens.  Their  cry  of  "  no  intervention  either  way,"  was 
explained  by  them  to  mean,  that  Congress  should  become  dere 
lict  to  its  positive  duty  of  protecting  everywhere  the  equal 
rights  of  all  the  citizens,  in  order  that  a  mob  might  be  free 
to  intervene,  most  fatally,  against  a  part.  They  openly  argued 
at  home  that  their  scheme  was  the  more  politic,  because  it  effec 
tually  deprived  the  South  of  every  inch  of  the  common  domain, 
while  it  was  better  concealed  against  constitutional  objections. 
The  South  perceived  it  to  be,  in  the  strong  phrase  of  one  of  her 


EFFECTS  OF  ELECTION  IN  THE  SOUTH.         149 

statesmen,  "  but  a  short  cut  to  all  the  ends  of  the  Black  Repub 
licans." 

During  the  canvass,  many  patriotic  voices  were  raised  at  the 
South,  and  a  few  at  the  North,  in  solemn  remonstrance.  Our 
'enemies  were  reminded  that  Washington,  Jefferson,  and  the 
other  fathers  of  the  Government,  had  predicted,  that  the  triumph 
of  a  sectional  party  in  the  Confederation  would  be  the  knell  of 
its  existence;  and  that  their  own  best  statesmen  had  declared 
the  South  neither  would  nor  could  remain  in  the  Union,  under  a 
domination  so  utterly  subversive  of  the  objects  of  the  Union. 
But  such  was  the  temper  of  the  Northern  people,  that  warnings 
only  inflamed  their  arrogance.  And  when  they  ascertained  that 
they  had  elected  their  candidate,  they  burst  forth,  in  belief  of 
their  irresistible  power,  into  declarations  of  purposes  of  usur 
pation  and  tyranny  so  monstrous,  that  many  just  men  at  the 
North  wrote  eagerly  to  their  Southern  friends,  to  hasten  and 
seek  their  only  safety  in  a  separate  independence.  In  the 
South,  at  a  distance  from  these  scenes,  few  indeed  compre 
hended  their  full  danger,  but  all  were  painfully  aroused,  and 
many  prepared  for  immediate  defence.  At  the  head  of  the 
latter  was  the  State  of  South  Carolina.  Immediately  after 
Lincoln's  election  was  known,  her  Legislature  called  a  sov 
ereign  convention  of  the  people,  which,  on  the  20th  of  De 
cember,  1860,  formally  retracted  the  connexion  of  the  State 
with  the  Union,  and  resumed  its  independence.  This  action 
was  had  without  discussion,  and  with  perfect  unanimity;  the 
people  of  that  State  were  convinced  that  the  season  for  dis 
cussion  had  passed,  and  the  season  for  action  had  arrived. 
But,  in  all  the  other  Southern  States,  while  there  was  no  respect 
able  party  anywhere  which  wavered  in  the  purpose  of  vigorous 
resistance,  there  was  a  division  of  opinion  concerning  the  time 
and  mode  of  commencing  it,  denoted  by  the  terms,  Separate 


150  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Secession,  and  Co-operative  Secession.  The  advocates  of  tho 
former  prevailed  at  first  in  the  planting  States,  bordering  upon 
the  Gulf  of  Mexico ;  of  the  latter,  in  the  States  lying  next  to  the 
Free  States,  and  in  Virginia.  With  these  Major  Jackson  sympa 
thized.  Although  this  class  of  patriots  embraced  many  shades  of 
opinion,  their  distinctive  views  were  these :  —  That  while  the 
sectional  action,  arid  especially  the  temper  of  the  Northern 
people,  would  justify  before  God  and  man  an  immediate  separa 
tion,  yet  it  was  not  politic  to  make  it  upon  this  provocation, 
because  the  South  was  so  unprepared  for  that  tremendous  war 
winch  would  probably  follow.  It  was  further  contended  that  it 
would  give  her  enemies  the  pretext  —  unfair,  indeed,  yet  plausi 
ble  —  to  rob  her  of  a  part  of  her  moral  strength,  by  charging  her 
with  a  factious  appeal  from  the  polls  to  violence,  prompted  only 
by  the  loss  of  the  powers  and  emoluments  of  office :  That, 
inasmuch  as  this  iniquitous  election  was  yet  made  under  the 
forms  of  the  Constitution,  it  would  be  better  to  await  the  first 
aggression  which  plainly  violated  it,  in  form  as  well  as  in  fact, 
and  make  that  the  signal  of  resistance :  That  the  power  of  our 
enemies  dictated  the  necessity  of  acting  only  in  concert,  so  that 
the  Southern  cause  might  possess  the  full  strength  arising  from 
the  union  of  all  these  States :  And  that,  since  the  collision  of 
one  with  the  Federal  Government  would  inevitably  decide  the 
question  of  peace  or  war  for  all,  and  no  State  would  stand  idly, 
and  see  her  Southern  sisters  crushed  in  detail  by  the  common 
enemy,  however  erring  by  a  generous  precipitation,  both  courtesy 
and  justice  required  that  they  should  only  act  in  concert.  The 
advocates  of  immediate  separate  secession  replied,  that  this  act 
was,  in  its  nature,  that  of  a  State  acting  sovereignly,  and  there 
fore  singly :  That,  although  the  South  was  unprepared,  yet  it 
was  best  to  act  at  once,  because  the  time  consumed  in  consulting 
and  preparing,  would  be  so  improved  by  our  enemies  in  the 


SECESSION,   IMMEDIATE   OR   CO-OPERATIVE.  151 

work  of  corrupting,  intimidating,  and  encroaching,  with  all  the 
potent  enginery  of  the  Federal  Government  in  their  hands,  that 
the  South  would  soon  be  disabled  for  any  resistance  :  That,  if 
action  were  postponed  until  full  concert  were  secured,  it  would 
be  postponed  indefinitely ;  the  partial  apathy  of  the  people  under 
so  many  wrongs,  having  shown  that  nothing  would  effectually 
rousB  them  except  the  precipitating  of  the  issue:  And  that  the 
South  had  nothing  to  fear,  because  the  unwarlike  character  of 
the  North  would  deter  them  from  attacking  a  chivalrous  and 
determined  people,  and  the  preciousness  of  the  Southern  com-, 
merce  would  speedily  procure  from  abroad  potent  mediation. 
It  is  plain,  also,  that  some  of  the  Carolinians  were  not  unwilling 
to  seize  that  accidental  power,  of  committing  their  neighbors  to 
a  forcible  resistance  without  asking  their  assent,  which  has  becu 
explained  above ;  and  therein  they  gave  serious  offence  to  many 
of  their  friends  in  Virginia. 

It  is  not  important  that  the  historian  should  decide  whether 
the  advocates  of  immediate  or  of  co-operative  secession  were 
right.  The  purpose  to  coerce  South  Carolina  illegally  was,  at 
once,  indicated  by  the  retention  of  the  strongest  work  com 
manding  her  chief  city  and  harbor,  Fort  Sumter ;  and  the  man 
ner  in  which  this  threatening  act  was  accompanied,  aggravated 
the  indignation  of  the  people.  On  the  9th  of  January,  1861, 
Mississippi  left  the  Union ;  Alabama  and  Florida  followed  on 
the  llth;  Georgia  on  the  20th ;  Louisiana  on  the  26th;  and 
Texas  on  the  1st  of  February.  On  the  9th  of  February,  a 
Provisional  Government  of  the  six  seceding  States  was  insti 
tuted  at  Montgomery,  in  Alabama,  with  Jefferson  Davis  for 
President,  and  Alexander  H.  Stephens  for  Vice-President. 

Meantime  the  border  Slave  States,  headed  by  Virginia,  while 
declaring  that  they  would  not  remain  passive  spectators  of  an 
attempt  to  chastise  the  seceding  States  for  thus  exercising  their 


152  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

unquestionable  right,  continued  in  the  Union,  and  made  strenuous 
efforts  at  conciliation.  The  General  Assembly  of  Virginia  pro 
posed  a  conference  of  the  Free  and  Slave  States  by  their  ambas 
sadors,  to  devise  some  terms  of  mutual  concession.  This  body 
met  in  Washington,  February  4th,  and  the  members  of  Congress 
from  the  Border  States  continued  their  anxious  exertions  to 
mediate  in  the  Federal  Legislature.  But  every  attempt  was 
utterly  vain.  No  sooner  had  the  Peace  Conference,  as  it  was 
called,  assembled,  than  it  was  found  that  the  Commissioners  from 
the  North,  instead  of  coming  with  the  moderate  and  dispassion 
ate  wisdom  of  statesmen,  to  heal  the  wounds  of  their  country, 
were  as  full  of  the  virus  of  party  as  the  demagogues  who  had 
led  the  popular  elections.  Nothing  was  done,  save  to  devise  a 
deceptive  compromise  to  be  recommended  to  the  Congress,  —  a 
compromise  so  worthless,  that  the  larger  number  of  the  Southern 
Commissioners  refused  to  accept  it.  But  even  this  the  Congress, 
now  under  the  domination  of  a  Black  Republican  majority,  dis 
dained  to  grant,  and  almost  to  notice.  The  Legislature  of 
Virginia  had  also  called  together  a  Convention  of  the  people, 
containing  delegates  from  every  city  and  county.  So  far  was  it 
from  the  purpose  of  the  people  to  precipitate  themselves  rashly 
into  violent  measures,  that  when  this  Convention  met,  only  about 
twenty-five  of  its  members  advocated  immediate  secession.  The 
remainder  (with  the  exception  of  a  few,  who  afterwards  disclosed 
their  original  slavish  intentions  by  their  treason)  were,  on  the 
one  hand,  unwilling  to  sacrifice  the  last  hope  of  peace,  until 
driven  to  self-defence  by  intolerable  usurpations,  but,  on  the 
other,  resolved  to  maintain  the  rights  of  the  South  intact,  and  to 
resist  every  attempt  of  the  United  States  to  coerce  the  seccders 
by  unconstitutional  violence.  Their  expectation  of  being  able 
to  remain  in  the  Union  was  slight,  but  they  were  resolved  that 
the  guilt  of  extinguishing  this  spark  of  hope,  and  compelling  a 


THE   CHRISTIAN   PEOPLE  MEDIATE.  153 

separation,  should  rest  upon  their  assailants.  To  tliis  number 
adhered  Major  Jackson,  with  the  larger  part  of  the  Christian 
people  of  the  State,  of  all  political  parties.  They  had  hailed 
the  assembling  of  the  Peace  Conference  with  a  gleam  of  hope, 
but  when  its  consultations  ended  so  abortively,  nearly  all 
accepted  the  stern  conclusion,  that  nothing  remained  except  that 
alternative  between  base  submission  or  resistance,  in  which  no 
honest  man  ever  hesitates. 

Still,  they  were  reluctant  to  despair  of  the  Union.  They 
appreciated  the  infamy  which  would  attach  to  the  Christianity  of 
America,  if,  after  all  its  boasts  of  numbers,  power,  influence,  and 
spirituality,  it  were  found  impotent  to  save  the  country  from 
fratricidal  war.  Their  cry  was,  "  Christians  to  the  rescue !" 
They  asked :  Should  there  not  be  enough  of  the  power  of  love  in 
these  millions  of  the  professed  servants  of  the  Prince  of  Peace, 
to  renew  the  bonds  of  friendship;  to  say  to  the  tempests  of 
passion,  "  Peace,  be  still ;"  to  keep  down  the  hands  which  sought 
their  brothers'  throats,  and  rather  to  receive  the  sword  into  their 
own  bosoms  than  allow  their  common  country  to  be  slain? 
They  said,  as  long  as  there  was  a  spark  of  life,  yea,  even  though 
it  were  uncertain  whether  this  spark  was  but  an  illusion,  it  would 
be  better  to  wait  till  it  was  extinguished  by  necessity,  than  incur 
all  the  miseries  of  the  extreme  remedy,  when  it  was  possible 
that  they  might  afterwards  be  haunted  by  the  remorseful  dis 
covery,  that  it  was  invoked  without  sufficient  cause.  They 
determined  that  the  mountainous  aggregate  of  crime  and  woe 
which  impended  —  of  a  ruined  Constitution,  of  cities  sacked,  of 
reeking  battle-fields,  of  scattered  churches,  of  widowed  wives 
and  orphaned  children,  of  souls  plunged,  unprepared,  into  hell — 
should  not  be  chargeable  to  them.  None  strove  more  earnestly 
to  deprecate  the  crime  than  Major  Jackson.  A  month  before  the 
catastrophe,  he  called  upon  his  pastor,  and  spoke  substantially 
20 


154  LIFE   OP  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

as  follows :  —  "If  the  general  Government  should  persist  in 
the  measures  now  threatened,  there  must  be  war.  It  is  pain 
ful  to  discover  with  what  unconcern  they  speak  of  war,  and 
threaten  it.  They  seem  not  to  know  what  its  horrors  are.  I 
have  had  an  opportunity  of  knowing  enough  on  the  subject,  to 
make  me  fear  war  as  the  sum  of  all  evils.  Should  the  step  be 
taken  which  is  now  threatened,  we  shall  have  no  other  alterna 
tive  ;  we  must  fight.  But  do  you  not  think  that  all  the  Christian 
people  of  the  land  could  be  induced  to  unite  in  a  concert  of 
prayer,  to  avert  so  great  an  evil  ?  It  seems  to  me,  that  if  they 
would  unite  thus  in  prayer,  war  might  be  prevented,  and  peace 
preserved."  To  this  his  pastor  promptly  assented,  and  promised 
to  do  what  he  could  to  bring  about  the  concert  of  prayer  he  pro 
posed.  "  Meantime,"  said  he,  "  let  us  agree  thus  to  pray."  And 
henceforward,  whenever  he  was  called  on  to  lead  the  devotions 
of  others,  one  petition  prominently  presented  and  fervently 
pressed,  was,  that  God  would  preserve  the  whole  land  from  the 
evils  of  war. 

Between  the  leading  Christians  of  the  North  and  those  of 
Virginia,  several  pacific  communications  passed,  to  some  of  which 
Jackson's  name  was  appended,  although  with  but  faint  hope  of 
good  results.  On  the  Northern  side,  the  actors  were  cither  impo 
tent  to  carry  out  the  fraternal  feelings  which  they  professed, 
against  the  prevalent  fury,  or  else  their  overtures  were  only  like 
the  deceitful  caresses  with  which  the  driver  soothes  a  restless 
horse,  while  the  harness  is  fastened  on  his  neck.  It  was  clearly 
perceived,  that  while  these  smooth-sounding  missives  were  sent, 
invoking  the  Christian  forbearance  of  the  South,  it  was  expected 
that  all  the  forbearance  should  be  on  that  side ;  and  not  one  of 
the  pacificators  had  the  honesty  or  courage  to  propose  that  the 
simple  expedient  should  be  tried,  for  healing  the  unholy  strife, 
of  yielding  to  the  South  her  just  rights.  While  pretended 


WAR  WITH  SOUTH  CAEOLINA.  155 

meetings  of  sympathy  were  held  for  Southern  wrongs,  no  prac 
tical  measure  was  taken,  and  Black  Republican  majorities 
increased  at  every  election.  But  the  Christian  people  of  Vir 
ginia  strove  to  avert  the  storm  with  a  generous  sincerity,  more 
glorious  than  their  subsequent  heroism  in  breasting  it.  Their 
influence  was  felt  in  the  magnanimous  efforts  of  the  old  Com 
monwealth  to  stand  in  the  breach  between  the  angry  elements. 
They  entreated  her  to  endure  wrongs,  until  endurance  became 
almost  a  vice,  to  hold  out  the  olive-branch  after  it  had  been 
spurned,  to  study  modes  of  compromise  and  conciliation,  until 
the  verge  of  dishonor  was  touched,  to  refuse  to  despair  of  the 
Republic  when  hope  had  departed  from  all  others,  and  to 
decline  even  acts  of  self-defence,  which  might  provoke  collision, 
until  the  cloud  had  risen  over  her  very  head.  So  reluctant  was 
Virginia  to  behold  the  ruin  of  the  Union  she  had  so  loyally 
adorned,  that  many  of  her  sons  and  her  allies  were  driven 
almost  to  fury  by  the  nearness  of  the  danger,  and  the  taunts  of 
her  enemies. 

But  these  were  madly  hurrying  to  take  upon  their  own  heads 
all  the  guilt  of  the  giant  crime,  and  thus  to  unite  Virginia  as  one 
man,  and  render  her  justification  as  clear  as  the  sunlight.  The 
State  of  South  Carolina  had  been  soliciting,  first  of  Mr.  Buchanan 
and  then  of  Lincoln,  an  equitable  settlement  of  all  questions  in 
dispute  between  her  as  an  independent  power,  and  the  Federal 
Government.  Especially  had  she  demanded  that  Fort  Suinter, 
the  only  post  in  her  territory  held  by  that  Government,  should 
be  restored  to  her  on  the  obviously  just  ground,  that  being 
designed  only  for  her  local  protection  against  foreign  aggres 
sion,  when  she  relieved  the  central  administration  of  that  func 
tion,  it  had  no  longer  any  concern  in  her  fortresses.  The 
attempt  was  made,  first,  to  amuse  and  deceive  her  ambassa 
dors,  by  declarations  which  cannot  be  correctly  named  by  any 


156  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

term  short  of  this  —  that  they  were  a  series  of  reiterated, 
falsities,  uttered  by  the  Secretary  of  State ;  and  this  attempt  at 
official  treachery  was  rendered  more  loathsome  by  his  ingen 
iously  prostituting  the  sanctity  of  the  ermine  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  to  give  credit  to  his  assurances.  But,  on  the  8th  of 
April,  a  powerful  armament  being  ready  to  reinforce  the  intru 
sive  garrison  of  Fort  Sumter,  the  mask  was  removed,  and  the 
Governor  of  South  Carolina  was  bluntly  informed  that  it  should 
be  done,  "  peaceably  if  they  could,  forcibly  if  they  must."  The 
Confederate  authorities  had  not  been  hoodwinked ;  and  they 
proceeded,  on  the  12th  and  13th  of  April,  to  reduce  the  post  by 
their  forces  under  General  Beauregard.  Thus  the  Federal 
Government  assumed  the  guilt  of  the  first  military  aggression. 

But  they  did  not  stop  here :  on  April  14th,  Lincoln  made  a 
proclamation,  without  the  authority  of  a  shadow  of  law  from 
Congress,  declaring  war  against  South  Carolina  and  the  Con 
federate  Government,  and  calling  upon  the  States  for  seventy- 
five  thousand  soldiers  to  invade  them.  The  Governors  of  all 
the  Southern  States,  except  Maryland,  refused  compliance.  In 
Virginia  all  remains  of  hesitation  were  instantly  extinguished  j 
the  Convention,  which  was  in  session,  on  the  17th  of  April, 
passed  an  ordinance  resuming  the  separate  independence  of  the 
State  j  and  the  Governor  immediately  began  to  prepare  for 
war.  On  the  fourth  Thursday  of  May,  at  an  election  held  with 
perfect  respect  for  the  freedom  of  opinion,  the  people  of  Virginia 
ratified  this  separation  almost  unanimously,  except  in  a  part  of 
the  north-western  counties,  where  the  intrusion  of  a  foreign 
element  had  corrupted  the  public  sentiment. 

Virginia  was  recognized  on  all  hands  as  the  leader  of  the 
border  Slave  States.  Her  enemies  evidently  mistook  her  mag 
nanimous  forbearance  and  struggles  for  peace,  as  signs  of  con 
scious  weakness.  They  said,  the  old  "Mother  of  States  and 


SPIRIT   OF  VIRGINIA.  157 

statesmen  "  was  decrepit;  that  her  genius  was  turned  to  dotage, 
that  her  breasts  were  dry  of  that  milk  which  suckled  her  Hen 
rys  and  "Washingtons.  They  thought  her  little  more  than  a 
cowering  beldame,  whom  a  timely  threat  would  reduce  to  utter 
submissiveness.  And  thus  they  dared  to  stretch  over  her  head 
the  minatory  rod.  But  when  the  tyrant  tried  the  perilous  ex 
periment,  he  was  startled  by  a  result  as  unexpected  as  that 
which  followed  the  touch  of  Ithuriel's  spear.  She,  whom  he 
thought  a  patient,  hesitating,  helpless  paralytic,  flamed  up  at  the 
insolent  touch,  like  a  pyramid  of  fire,  and  Virginia  stood  forth 
again  in  her  immortal  youth,  the  unterrified  Commonwealth  of 
1776,  a  Minerva  radiant  with  the  terrible  glories  of  policy  and 
war,  wielding  that  sword  which  ever  flashed  before  the  eyes  of 
her  aggressors,  the  "  Sic  semper  Tyrannis."  *  The  point  of 
farthest  endurance  was  at  length  passed;  her  demands  for 
constitutional  redress  were  all  refused ;  her  too  generous  con 
cessions  of  right,  met  by  a  requisition  for  the  unconditional 
surrender  of  honor  and  dignity  j  her  forbearance  abused  to  col 
lect  armaments  and  equip  fortresses  on  her  borders,  and  on  her 
own  soil,  for  her  intimidation  j  the  alternative  forced  upon  her, 
cither  to  brave  the  oppressor's  rod,  or  to  aid  him  in  the  destruc 
tion  of  her  sisters  and  children,  for  no  other  cause  than  that 
they  contended  nobly,  if  too  rashly,  for  rights  common  to  them 
and  her ;  and  to  crown  all,  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
was  rent  in  fragments  by  the  assumption  of  the  President  to 
levy  new  forces,  to  wage  war,  without  authority  of  any  law  of 
Congress,  and  to  coerce  sovereign  States  into  adhesion,  in  the 
utter  absence  of  all  intentions  and  powers  to  that  effect,  in  the 
Federal  compact.  Hence,  except  in  the  breast  of  a  few  traitors, 
there  was  now  but  one  mind  and  one  heart  in  Virginia.  In  one 
week,  the  whole  State  was  converted  into  a  camp,  and  the 

*  See  the  Seal  of  the  Commonwealth. 


158  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

gauntlet  of  deathless  resistance  was  flung  back  with  high  dis 
dain. 

The  world  has  learned  to  consider  Jackson  as  the  hero  of  the 
Virginia  of  1861.     The  Commonwealth  is  proud  to  accept  him 
as  her  representative  man;  and  the  attitude  which  he  held  was 
the  true  type  of  hers ;  as  he  stood  conscientious,  cautious,  but 
fearless,  pure   and   unselfish  in  motive,   elevated  in  principle, 
with  an  eye  raised   in   religious   faith   to   the  righteous  heav 
ens,  awaiting  the  signal  from  the  Divine  approval  for  his  re 
sistance,  profoundly    sad   for   the    mournful   necessity,   yet   as 
sternly  resolved  to  defend  the  right.     In  all  classic  and  sacred 
story,  there  is  no  spectacle  more  affecting   and   sublime   than 
that   presented    by    this    Christian    man,    and    his    Christian 
people,  in  this  emergency.     They  did  not  share  the  delusion, 
cherished  by  many   of  the   immediate   Secessionists,   that  the 
North   would  be  restrained  from  striking;  but  they  knew  the 
history   of  passion   and  fanaticism  enough  to  expect  a  fearful 
war.     They  saw  the  mighty  beast  gathering  his  forces  for  the 
bound  upon  his  prey,  yet  they  calmly  stepped  before  his  jaws. 
How  grandly  docs  the  action  of  Virginia  contrast  with  that 
of  Maryland  and  Kentucky,  which,  professing  attachment  to  the 
right,  subsided  into  a  pitiful  "neutrality,"  that  was,  in  fact,  slavish 
co-operation  with  their  enemies ;  the  one,  on  the  plea  that  the 
military  highway  to  the  tyrants' capital  lay  through  her  heart; 
and  the  other,  on  the  ground  that  one-third  of  her  border  was 
only  separated  by  a  great  river  from  the  assailants  !     The  defec 
tion  of  Kentucky  left  Virginia  exposed  on  three  sides  to  her 
invaders,  and  one  of  these  the  sea,  vexed  with  the  countless  keels 
of  the  enemy ;  while  his  mercenaries  had  stolen,  and  now  held 
her  greatest  place  of  arms,  Fortress  Monroe,  which  commanded 
the  approach  to  the  wharves  of  her  chief  sea-port  and  her  capital 
city.     Her  border  lay  under  the  muzzles  of  the  cannon  which 


HIGH   POSITION   OF   THE   CONFEDERATE   STATES.  159 

frowned  from  the  ramparts  of  Washington,  and 'it  was  plain,  to 
friend  and  foe/  that  her  smiling  fields  must  be  the  chief  arena  for 
trampling  armies.  But  these  men  did  not  quail  on  account  of 
this ;  having  taken  counsel  only  of  God  and  the  right,  Virginia 
stepped  into  "  the  imminent  deadly  breach/'  baring  her  own  fair 
bosom  to  the  fiercest  strokes  of  the  swords  lifted  against  her 
sisters. 

History  will  some  day  place  the  position  of  these  Confederate 
States,  in  this  high  argument,  in  the  clearest  light  of  her  glory. 
The  cause  they  undertook  to  defend  was  that  of  regulated,  con 
stitutional  liberty,  and  of  fidelity  to  law  and  covenants,  against 
the  licentious  violence  of  physical  power.  The  assumptions  they 
resisted  were  precisely  those  of  that  radical  democracy,  which 
deluged  Europe  with  blood  at  the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century, 
and  which  shook  its  thrones  again  in  the  convulsions  of  1 848 ; 
the  agrarianism  which,  under  the  name  of  equalit}^  would  subject 
all  the  rights  of  individuals  to  the  will  of  the  many,  and  acknow 
ledge  no  law  nor  ethics,  save  the  lust  of  that  mob  which  happens 
to  be  the  larger.  This  power,  which  the  old  States  of  Europe 
expended  such  rivers  of  treasure  and  blood  to  curb,  at  the  begin 
ning  of  the  century,  had  transferred  its  immediate  designs  across 
the  Atlantic,  was  consolidating  itself  anew  in  the  Northern  States 
of  America,  with  a  wealth,  an  organization,  an  audacity,  an 
extent,  to  which  it  never  aspired  in  the  lands  of  its  birth,  and 
was  preparing  to  make  the  United  States,  after  crushing  all  law 
there  under  its  brute  will,  the  fulcrum  whence  they  should  extend 
their  lever  to  upheave  every  legitimate  throne  in  the  Old  World. 
Hither,  by  emigration,  flowed  the  radicalism,  discontent,  crime, 
and  poverty  of  Europe,  until  the  people  of  the  Northern  States 
became,  like  the  rabble  of  Imperial  Rome,  the  colluvies  gentium. 
The  miseries  and  vices  of  their  early  homes  had  alike  taught 
them  to  mistake  license  for  liberty,  and  they  were  incapable  of 


160  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

comprehending,  much  more  of  loving,  the  enlightened  structure 
of  English  or  Virginian  freedom.  The  first  step  in  their  vast 
designs  was  to  overwhelm  the  Conservative  States  of  the  South. 
This  done,  they  boasted  that  they  would  proceed,  first,  to  engross 
the  whole  of  the  American  continent,  and  then  to  emancipate 
Ireland,  to  turn  Great  Britain  into  a  democracy,  to  enthrone  Red 
Republicanism  in  France,  and  to  give  the  crowns  of  Germany  to 
the  Pantheistic  humanitarians  of  that  race,  who  deify  self  as  the 
supreme  end,  and  selfish  desire,  as  the  authoritative  expression 
of  the  Divine  Will.  This,  in  truth,  was  the  monster  whose 
terrific  pathway  among  the  nations,  the  Confederate  States 
undertook  to  obstruct,  in  behalf  not  only  of  their  own  children, 
but  of  all  the  children  of  men. 

To  fight  this  battle,  eleven  millions,  of  whom  four  millions 
were  the  poor  Africans,  lately  feeble  savages,  prepared  to  meet 
twenty  millions.  The  gigantic  adversary  was  not  impeded  by 
distance,  but  lay  everywhere  alongside  his  proposed  victim, 
ready  to  grasp  him  with  his  long  arms.  He  held  prepared,  a 
veteran  army  of  twenty  thousand  men,  a  navy,  and  vast  arsenals 
and  armories;  while  the  Confederate  States  had  everything 
Co  create.  He  had  the  administration  of  all  the  departments 
of  a  government ;  he  had  revenues,  a  treasury  recruited  perpet 
ually  with  the  gold  of  the  modern  Ophir,  and  huge  accumulations 
of  financial  wealth :  they  had  none.  In  his  favor  was  a  great 
commercial  marine,  second  to  none  in  the  world,  and  manufac 
tories  teeming  with  productive  labor  fostered  by  the  previous 
oppression  and  taxation  of  the  South ;  while  she  had  agricultural 
communities,  possessing  only  the  rudiments  of  commerce  and 
of  the  arts.  And  to  sustain  these  elements  of  Northern  power, 
there  was  the  well-known  pertinacity  of  the  Yankee  character, 
infuriated  now  by  a  sectional  hatred  all  the  more  incredible 
because  unprovoked,  and  by  a  fanaticism  set  on  fire  of  hell. 


ODDS   AGAINST   CONFEDERATES.  161 

But  had  this  been  all  the  odds  which  the  Confederate  States 
had  to  meet,  their  prowess  would,  before  this,  have  ended  the 
contest.  The  ships  of  the  Federals,  availing  themselves  of  the 
avarice  and  injustice  of  Europe,  made  all  the  workshops,  ship 
yards,  and  factories  of  the  Old  World  tributary  to  their  malice. 
The  radicals,  the  proletaires,  the  robbers,  the  outlaws,  of  all 
other  lands,  flocked  to  their  standards,  taught  by  their  ready 
instincts  that  their  cause  was  the  same.  One-half  of  the 
prisoners  of  war,  registered  by  the  victorious  armies  of  the 
South,  have  been  foreign  mercenaries.  Mr.  Smith  O'Brien, 
warning  his  race  against  the  unhallowed  enterprise,  declares  that 
the  Moloch  of  Federal  ambition  has  already  sacrificed  two 
hundred  thousand  Irishmen  to  it.  And  still,  as  the  flaming 
sword  of  the  South  mows  down  these  hireling  invaders,  fresh 
hordes  throng  the  shores.  Last,  our  country  has  towage  this 
strife,  only  on  these  cruel  terms,  that  the  blood  of  her  chivalrous 
sons  shall  be  matched  against  the  sordid  streams  of  this  cloaca 
populorum.  In  the  words  of  Lord  Lindsay,  at  !Flodden  Field, 
we  must  play  our  "  Rose  Nobles  of  gold,  against  crooked 
sixpences." 

So  that  the  Confederate  States,  while,  in  truth,  fighting  for  the 
cause  of  the  world,  have  the  whole  world  to  fight  against.  But 
how  has  their  heroism  been  regarded  from  without  ?  It  must  be 
declared  (and  this  fact  completes  the  grandeur  of  their  attitude), 
that  while  thus  bleeding  for  the  common  behoof  of  mankind, 
they  have  received  aid  from  none,  even  idle  sympathy  from 
few,  and  only  neglect  and  injustice  from  the  governments  of 
Europe.  Men  have  seen  fit  to  adopt  the  slanders  of  our 
known  enemies  as  the  only  description  of  our  institutions,  and 
have  refused  us  the  poor  privilege  which  even  the  criminal  lias, 
of  being  heard  before  he  is  condemned.  The  word  slave-owner 
has  been  the  talisman  to  evoke  everywhere  an  ignorant  prejudice, 

21 


162  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

too  conceited  to  learn  correction ;  and  men  have  been  willing  to 
accept  the  rendering  which  it  suits  the  malice  of  our  enemies  to 
give,  falsely,  as  they  know  —  that  we  are  contending,  not  to  pre 
serve  our  own  freedom,  but  to  perpetuate  the  bondage  of  our 
fellow-men,  unjustly  enslaved.  It  is  by  this  device  our  enemies 
have  sought  to  hide  the  enormity  of  their  attacks,  and  to  rob  us 
of  even  the  sympathy  of  mankind.  The  Confederate  States 
have,  indeed,  never  complained  of  the  refusal  of  aid  to  fight  their 
battles,  for  they  have  never  asked  it.  But  they  have  a  right  to 
complain,  that  the  interested  slanders  of  their  enemies  should  be 
echoed  abroad  without  even  examination ;  that  the  moral  support 
of  a  recognition  should  be  withheld,  when  it  is  a  historical  fact  that 
the  independence  of  several  of  those  same  States  was  recognized 
by  all  Europe  eighty  years  ago,  and,  as  is  known  to  all  the 
world,  has  never  since  been  forfeited ;  that  the  maritime  law,  so 
recently  and  solemnly  established  for  all  nations,  should  be  com 
pelled  to  receive  a  new  and  deceitful  interpretation  for  the 
benefit  of  our  enemies,  the  moment  it  began  to  apply  in  our 
favor ;  and  that  a  pretended  neutrality  should  be  so  observed,  as 
to  make  every  advantage  accrue  to  them.  The  people  of  the 
South  well  know,  that,  if  they  are  overwhelmed,  the  greedy 
democracy,  whose  threats  have  exacted  from  the  European  gov 
ernments  these  shabby  compliances,  will  make  them  in  due  time 
rue  their  short-sighted  injustice ;  but  this  is  the  concern  of  their 
people ;  ours  is  to  endure,  and  to  strive  to  the  death. 

The  great  career  of 'Jackson  is  identified  with  the  cause  of 
Southern  independence.  To  this  he  committed  himself  with 
solemn  prayers  and  searchings  of  heart,  ready,  if  he  should  die 
in  this  quarrel,  to  present  his  soul  confidently  before  the  judg 
ment-bar,  and  ask  the  Divine  approval.  In  it  he  wrought  all  his 
world-famous  exploits.  In  it  he  died,  professing  in  the  last 
struggle  the  same  confidence  in  the  righteousness  of  the  war. 


MERITS   OF   THE   CASE.  163 

If  then  the  secession  of  Virginia  was  a  crime,  Jackson  was  the 
most  amazing  of  self-deceivers,  or  the  most  profound  of  hypo 
crites.  Therefore,  his  character  cannot  be  appreciated,  nor  its 
fame  receive  its  just  estimate  from  history,  without  a  full  under 
standing  of  the  merits  of  the  case.  This  is  the  reason  that  the 
reader's  attention  has  been  so  largely  occupied  with  an  exposition 
of  it,  and  for  this  reason  he  is  besought  to  weigh  these  conclud 
ing  arguments. 

First,  The  most  determined  anti-slavery  man,  if  he  have  fair- 
ness  of  mind,  will  grant,  when  he  understands  the  case,  that 
African  slavery  is  not  the  cause,  but  only  the  occasion,  of  the 
Southern  resistance.  The  cause  for  which  this  people  contend  is 
constitutional  right.  It  is  but  a  circumstance  that  the  right  to 
the  labor  of  their  slaves  happened  to  be  the  particular  in  which 
the  sacred  authority  of  law  was  assailed  j  and  it  may  be  asked, 
How  can  it  appear  that  the  object  of  the  South  was  to  perpetu 
ate  the  bondage  of  the  African,  unless  it  appear  that  the  object 
of  Northern  aggression  was  to  end  that  bondage  ?  But  the 
Black  Republican  party  expressly  declared,  that  they  proposed 
no  interference  with  slavery  in  the  States.  Their  defenders  can 
only  rescue  them  from  this  logical  dilemma,  by  imputing  to  them 
deliberate  falsehood  on  this  point.  They  only  proposed  to  limit 
the  African  population  to  its  present  home,  so  that  their  policy 
would  not  have  made  one  slave  less  in.  all  America,  unless  by  so 
enhancing  the  miseries  of  their  condition  as  to  exterminate  a 
part.  Nor  would  the  demand  of  the  South,  that  the  African 
race  should  be  allowed  to  labor  in  the  new  domain,  if  granted, 
have  made  one  slave  more  in  all  America,  unless  it  had  done  it 
by  ameliorating  their  condition,  so  as  to  save  some  alive  who 
otherwise  would  have  perished.  Clearly,  then,  the  policy  of 
free-soil  was  not  friendship  to  the  black  man,  but  only  enmity  to 
his  white  protector,  and  desire  to  rule  over  him. 


164  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSON. 

But  further,  Black  Republicanism  is  a  system  of  intense  hos 
tility  to  the  African  race.  Its  inconsistency  can  only  be  equalled 
by  its  inhumanity.  It  persists  in  saying,  contrary  to  the  Consti 
tution  of  the  United  States,  that  the  African  is  a  citizen  of  the 
Union;  but  it  forbids  these  black  fellow-citizens  to  enjoy  the 
common  territory  in  any  form.  It  says  they  must  not  come  as 
slaves,  in  the  mode  best  adapted  to  their  present  welfare  (as  the 
most  of  the  Black  Republicans  admitted).  It  says  also,  that 
they  must  not  come  as  free  negroes ;  for  every  Black  Republican 
State,  formed  out  of  the  national  territory,  with  perhaps  a  single 
exception,  has  legislated  sternly  and  absolutely  against  the  immi 
gration  of  this  unfortunate  class  j  and,  of  course,  new  States  to 
be  formed  under  the  same  creed,  may  be  expected  to  do  the 
same.  In  a  word,  Black  Republicanism  always  means,  that  the 
African  shall  not  exist  at  all  on  American  soil.  The  uniform 
shibboleth  of  the  party  was  the  assertion,  that  this  continent  must 
belong  exclusively  to  the  white  race.  The  proposal  universally 
made  by  its  demagogues  to  the  agrarian  hordes  whom  they 
deceived,  was  not:  "Let  us  overthrow  the  institutions  of  the 
South,  in  order  that  you  may  share  its  industry  with  free  negro 
competitors;"  but,  "Let  us  overthrow  the  institutions  of  the 
South,  in  order  that  you  may  exclude  the  negro  from  its  indus 
try,  and  take  his  place."  If  they  were  pointed  to  the  wretched 
and  waning  caste  of  free  blacks  in  the  North,  as  proof  that  this 
race  cannot  thrive  in  competition  with  the  whites,  without  the 
protection  of  domestic  slavery,  and  asked  what  was  to  be  the 
destiny  of  the  millions  of  Africans,  when  their  policy  of  free- 
soil  was  everywhere  established ;  the  usual  answer  was  a  sar 
donic  shrug,  and  the  sneering  declaration,  that  this  was  no 
concern  of  theirs.  Others,  more  candid,  pointed  for  answer,  to 
the  fate  of  the  Indian  tribes,  who  have  wasted  to  nothing  before 
the  greater  energies  and  crimes  of  the  white  race ;  and  coolly 


SOUTHERN   RESISTANCE   JUST.  165 

said,  that  the  Africans,  deprived  of  the  fostering  shield  of  that 
southern  slavery,  under  which  they  were  now  thriving  so  happily, 
must  tend  to  extinction,  under  the  pressure  of  their  own  miseries 
and  degradation ;  and  then  the  whole  Union  would  be  free,  pros 
perous,  and  glorious,  (?)  belonging  to  the  white  man  alone. 
Such  was  the  hideous  meaning  of  Black  Republicanism,  to 
oppress  and  enslave  the  humane  master,  in  order  to  exterminate 
the  contented  and  comfortable  servant ! 

Any  honest  man,  who  has  been  so  unlucky  as  to  imbibe  the 
false  dogma,  that  the  relation  of  master  and  slave  is  essentially 
unrighteous,  will  therefore  admit,  if  he  knows  the  truth,  that 
the  citizen  of  the  Confederate  States  is  not  contending,  in  this 
quarrel,  to  perpetuate  an  unjust  oppression.  He  will  say  :  "  Be 
the  relation  wrong  as  it  may,  it  was  not  instituted  by  the  Con 
federates,  nor  at  their  option,  but  by  the  greed  of  the  Federal 
and  British  slave-traders,  and  the  tyranny  of  Great  Britain, 
thrusting  the  Africans  upon  the  unwilling  colonies.  These 
citizens  found  it  existing,  recognized  by  the  laws,  guaranteed 
by  the  Constitution  which  the  people  of  the  North  were  pledged 
to  observe,  and  which  alone  gave  them  any  right  to  legislate  for 
the  South.  It  was,  therefore,  natural,  yea  right,  that  they  should 
resist  these  usurpations;  and  the  more,  as  they  saw  that  the 
motive  was,  not  to  exalt  the  slave,  but  to  oppress  the  master ; 
to  trample  upon  the  liberties  of  the  latter,  in  order  to  visit  upon 
the  former,  a  fate  a  thousandfold  worse  than  slavery  —  lingering 
extermination." 

But  every  citizen  of  the  Confederate  States,  in  the  second 
place,  like  General  Jackson,  would  disdain  to  argue  this  cause 
from  the  premiss,  that  the  relation  of  the  master  to  his  slave  is 
unrighteous  in  itself.  They  assume  the  high  position  that  this 
relation  is,  for  their  circumstances,  as  innocent  and  lawful  in 
itself  as  any  other  relation  of  government,  and  recognized  as 


166  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

such  by  God  and  sound  ethics,  as  well  as  by  all  the  laws  of 
their  country.  When  pointed  to  the  almost  universal  condem 
nation  of  this  proposition  by  the  rest  of  Christendom,  they 
boldly  declare,  that  this  results  from  an  exclusion  of  the  South 
ern  people  from  a  hearing  in  their  own  defence,  and  a  perverse 
and  indolent  reception  from  their  enemies,  of  the  most  monstrous 
tissue  of  slanders  and  falsehoods,  which  ever  confounded  a 
human  mind.  The  world  has  been  told  a  myriad  times 
until  the  world  believes  it,  that  Virginian  slavery  makes  a 
human  being  a  chattel,  a  piece  of  property,  thus  violating  the 
first  intuitions  of  justice.  Yet,  all  this  is  absolutely  false; 
every  slave-law  of  Virginia  treats  the  slave  as  a  person,  a 
responsible,  reasonable  being,  and  not  a  thing ;  the  only  prop 
erty  which  the  laws  recognize  in  him,  is  the  property  in  his 
involuntary  labor.  And  if  the  involuntary  labor  of  a  human 
being  cannot  be  property,  then  every  parent,  husband,  and 
master  of  an  apprentice,  in  the  civilized  world,  is  made  a  trans 
gressor.  It  is  uniformly  asserted  that  slavery  proceeds  upon 
the  assumption  that  it  is  the  master's  privilege  to  expend  and 
exhaust  the  labor,  welfare,  and  very  being  of  his  fellow-man, 
for  his  own  selfish  behoof,  without  equivalent;  and  that* hence, 
it  is  a  flagrant  violation  of  that  great  law  of  love  and  equity, 
the  golden  rule.  All  this  is  alsolutely  false :  this  form  of  servi 
tude  is  defended  only  on  the  ground,  demonstrated  so  fully  by 
experience,  that  it  secures  for  the  servant  the  greatest  practica 
ble  amount  of  well-being.  The  laws  all  make  the  duties  and 
benefits  of  the  relation  reciprocal,  and  oblige  the  master  to 
render  to  his  servant  a  liberal  return  for  his  labor,  in  the  form 
of  a  life-long  maintenance  of  himself  and  his  family,  secured 
against  every  contingency  of  decrepitude  and  sickness ;  just  as 
much  as  they  oblige  the  servant  to  render  his  labor  to  his  master. 
That  this  is,  in  the  general,  a  better  recompense  than  the 


FALSEHOODS  REPELLED.  167 

African  could  win  as  a  free  negro,  is  the  justification  always 
pleaded. 

It  has  been  charged  that  Virginian  slavery  makes  the  master 
the  irresponsible  possessor  of  the  chastity  of  the  female  slave. 
This  is  again  an  absolute  falsehood ;  the  law  fences  around  the 
chastity  of  the  servant,  even  against  the  violence  of  her  own 
master,  by  the  same  sanctions  which  protect  that  of  the  white 
lady.     It  has  been  charged  that  the  laws  of  Virginia  forbid  the 
slave  to  lift  his  hand  for  the  defence  of  life  or  limb,  in  obedience 
to  the   instincts    of  self-preservation,  against   any  white   man. 
This  is  absolutely  false ;  while  the  laws  require  the  servant  to 
accept  the  chastisement  of  his  master,  they  recognize  in  him  the 
same  discretion  of  self-defence,  even  against  his  owner,  when 
assailed  in  life  and  limb,  which  is  granted  to  the  white  freeman. 
It  has  been  said  that  we  prohibit  the  slave  all  access  to  letters, 
and  do  not  permit  him  to  learn  to  read  even  the  book  of  life. 
This,  again,  is  unminoled  falsehood ;  there  is  no  law  in  Virginia, 
forbidding  a  master  to  teach  his  slaves  literature ;  and  as  many 
of  them  can  read,  and  do  read  God's  Word,  as  of  the  agricultural 
peasantry  of  boasted  England.     It  has  been  said  that  Virginian 
slavery  forbids  the  marital  and  parental  relations  among  slaves, 
consigning  them  to  a  brutal  concubinage,  like  that  of  animals. 
In    the   sense   charged,  this  is   absolutely  false;   conjugal  and 
parental  bliss  is  as  much  recognized,  and  as  little  interrupted 
among  them,  as  among  any  people  of  the  same  civilization.     It 
has  been  said  that  their  discipline  and  treatment  are  inhuman. 
This  is  transcendently  false.     No  peasantry  on  earth  is  treated 
with  as  much  humanity,  and  bears  tasks  so  light.     There  are 
instances  of  barbarity,  even  of  murder ;  but  they  are  punished  by 
the  laws  and  public  opinion,  at  least  as  regularly  as  any  crimes 
against  free  persons  in  this  country.     Are  there  no  cases  of  wife- 
murder,  and   child-murder,  in   New  and  Old  England?     It  13 


168  LIFE   01'   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

assertecl;  in  ten  thousand  forms,  that  slavery  has  degraded  the 
African :  but  this  is  also  false :,  it  has  civilized  and  elevated  him, 
more  rapidly  than  any  other  philanthropy  has  raised  any  pagan 
race  in  the  world. 

This  introduces  the  affirmative  truth,  that  the  relation  of 
servitude  is  a  righteous,  because  a  beneficent  one,  for  the  African 
among  white  men.  Let  the  tree  be  known  by  its  fruits.  It  has 
conferred  a  higher  physical  well-being  than  is  enjoyed  by  any 
other  laboring  population,  as  is  proved  by  their  increase  of 
numbers,  cheerfulness,  and  immunity  from  bodily  infirmities. 
The  Virginian  servant  is  lifted. in  the  scale  of  manhood  so  high 
above  his  fellows  of  the  African  wilds,  that,  when  by  rare  chance 
he  meets  them,  he  is  ashamed  and  indignant  at  the  assertion  of  a 
community  of  race.  American  servitude  has  made  nearly  half  a 
million  out  of  four  millions  (one  in  eight)  members  of  Christian 
churches,  from  being,  three  generations  ago,  besotted  Pagans. 
All  the  Christian  philanthropy  of  the  rest  of  the  world  has  not 
done  as  much  for  heathendom.  Our  system  has  created  an  affec 
tionate  union  between  the  two  races,  elsewhere  so  hostile,  which 
has  astounded  our  enemies  and  the  world,  with  their  quietude  in 
these  times  of  convulsion. 

And  when  we  look  into  the  ethics  of  the  relation,  we  find 
that  it  was  never  suspected  of  immorality  by  any  of  the  great 
masters  of  moral  science,  classic  or  scholastic,  nor  by  any  of 
the  luminaries  of  the  Church,  patristic  or  reformed,  until  the 
dogma  of  modern  abolition  was  born  of  atheistic  parentage, 
amidst  the  radical  disorganizes  of  France,  in  the  Reign  of 
Terror.  In  the  Word  of  God,  the  ^ouly  infallible  standard 
of  morality,  that  doctrine  finds  no  support.  Moses  legalized 
domestic  slavery  for  God's  chosen  people,  in  the  very  act  of 
setting  them  aside  to  holiness.  Christ,  the  great  Reformer, 
lived  and  moved  amidst  it,  teaching,  healing,  applauding  slave- 


SECESSION   JUSTIFIABLE.  169 

holders ;  and  while  He  assailed  every  abuse,  uttered  no  word 
against  this  lawful  relation.  His  apostles  admit  slaveholders 
to  the  church,  exacting  no  repentance  nor  renunciation.  They 
leave,  by  inspiration,  general  precepts  for  the  manner  in  which 
the  duties  of  the  relation  are  to  be  maintained.  They  command 
Christian  slaves  to  obey  and  honor  Christian  masters.  They 
remand  the  runaway  to  his  injured  owner,  and  recognize  his 
property  in  his  labor  as  a  right  which  they  had  no  power  to 
infringe.  If  slavery  is  in  itself  a  sinful  thing,  then  the  Bible  is 
a  sinful  book. 

Strong  in  the  truth  of  God  and  history,  the  people  of  the 
Confederate  States  therefore  calmly  breast  the  adverse  opinion 
of  the  world.  They  fortify  their  position  by  the  fact  that  their 
right  to  the  labor  of  their  slaves  is  not  only  protected  by  the 
laws  they  inh'erited  from  their  fathers,  but  by  the  laws  of  God, 
and  by  eternal  rectitude.  Had  they  been  unable  to  assert  the 
latter  truth,  their  resistance  to  anti-slavery  aggressions  would 
have  been  proper ;  because  the  Constitution,  which  alone  united 
the  States,  recognized  and  protected  it.  But  now  their  attitude 
is  in  every  respect  impregnable ;  for  God  protects  it  as  well  as 
the  Constitution.  To  infringe  the  rights  of  slaveholders  under 
the  laws,  was  therefore  a  usurpation,  and  a  violation  of  the 
primary  compact.  But  a  covenant  broken  by  one  party  is 
broken  for  the  other.  The  Southern  States  therefore  had  the 
clearest  right  to  select  their  own  redress.  And  especially  is 
their  secession  justified,  when  the  malignant  intentions  of  the 
aggressors,  and  the  ruinous  nature  of  the  wrongs  they  sought  to 
inflict,  are  considered.  Their  purposes  were  evidently  ruthless ; 
they  intended  nothing  less  than  our  destruction.  He  who  has 
observed  the  silent,  yet  potent  influence  of  opinion  on  the  con 
duct  of  political  bodies,  well  knows  how  absurd  would  be  the 
expectation,  that  the  Southern  people  could  consent  to  lie  under 
22 


170  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENEKAL   JACKSON. 

the  stigma  of  a  social  crime,  and  of  a  standing  moral  delinquency, 
and  yet  expect  to  receive  of  their  supercilious  accusers,  equal 
and  fair  treatment  in  a  political  partnership.  The  sentiment  of 
contempt  and  superiority  will  inevitably  express  itself  in  at 
tempted  domination.  Had  the  dogma,  which  asserted  the  immo 
rality  of  our  institutions,  professed  itself  the  most  unpractical 
abstraction,  the  South  would  have  been  wise  and  righteous  in 
saying  to  the  North :  "  It  is  time  to  part ;  we  cannot  live  peace 
ably  together." 

But  that  sentiment  was  intensely  practical.  It  proposed  no 
less  than  to  uproot  our  whole  society,  to  plunder  our  citizens,  at 
one  stroke,  of  more  than  a  thousand  millions  of  their  property, 
and  thus  to  impoverish  the  whole  land ;  to  hurl  back  the  pros 
perous  and  happy  African  race  to  barbarism,  crime,  and  misery ; 
to  turn  our  plantations  into  one  vast  jungle,  and  our  cities  into 
deserted  ruins ;  and  to  people  this  blighted  region  with  a  dis 
pirited  and  disorderly  medley  of  bankrupt  whites,  and  degraded 
black  savages.  The  people  of  the  South  know  the  African 
character.  They  have  seen  the  bitter  fruits  of  a  general  eman 
cipation  ;  and  they  well  know  that  this  picture  of  the  results  of 
Yankee  usurpation  would  be  verified  in  every  lineament.  If, 
then,  self-preservation  can  ever  justify  resistance,  in  this  instance 
it  was  a  righteous,  a  sacred  duty.  Now  the  form  of  resistance 
adopted  by  the  Southern  people  was  the  most  moderate  and 
equitable  that  could  be  conceived.  A  covenant  repudiated  by 
one  party  is  annulled  for  the  other.  It  was  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  alone,  which  constituted  the  Union,  and  gave 
any  right  to  the  Northern  States  to  legislate  for  the  South. 
When  the  former  declared,  as  the  North  in  substance  did,  that 
their  conscience  forbade  their  fulfilling  the  obligations  of  that 
covenant  for  the  protection  of  slavery,  the  only  conclusion  to 
which  honesty  could  have  led  them  was  this:  Let  the  parties 


ABOLITION  NECESSITATED   SEPARATION.  171 

then  separate,  and  restore  to  each  other  their  mutual  indepen 
dence.  And  this  was  the  very  least  which  the  most  Christian 
forbearance  on  the  part  of  the  South  could  ask.  But  this  was 
precisely  what  the  South  demanded,  in  claiming  the  right  of 
peaceable  withdrawal.  Technical  justice  would  have  authorized 
her  to  say  to  the  North:  "You  have  bargained;  you  have  ap 
propriated  the  advantages  of  the  bargain,  and  you  shall  be  com 
pelled  to  stand  to  its  terms,  whether  you  like  them  or  not."  It 
would  have  sustained  her  in  demanding  reparation  for  the  heavy 
wrongs  already  sustained.  It  would  have  sanctioned  her  claim 
to  the  properties  of  the  Union,  which  the  North  had  really  de 
serted,  and  not  the  South.  But  she  asked  none  of  these  things ; 
she  made  only  the  modest  request  to  have  her  pledges  restored, 
since  they  were  so  irksome  to  her  partner,  and  to  be  let  alone. 
But  this  the  North  refused ;  their  claim  was  that  they  should  be 
free  to  violate  the  mutual  compact  whenever  its  conditions  were 
irksome  to  their  interests,  or  passions  or  caprice,  and  absolutely 
vital  to  the  rights  of  the  South,  while  we,  their  equals,  should 
yet  be  held  to  it  at  the  point  of  the  sword,  and  under  the  threat 
of  the  most  atrocious  outrages  ever  visited  by  barbarians  on 
their  victims !  Was  ever  the  ear  of  a  just  God  vexed  with 
wickedness  more  monstrous  than  this  ?  "  It  is  rank,  and  smells 
to  heaven." 

But?  it  is  objected,  the  sectional  party  which  had  seized  the 
general  government,  disclaimed  the  purpose  of  forcible  emanci 
pation  in  the  States ;  and  the  South,  in  resisting,  took  counsel  of 
their  own  angry  suspicions  alone.  The  crushing  refutation  of 
this  plea  is  given  by  the  developments  of  the  Black  Republican 
party  since.  In  three  years,  they  have  attempted  to  consummate 
every  outrage  which  the  statesmen  of  the  South  imputed  to  their 
ulterior  intentions ;  yea,  they  have  left  no  tyranny  or  usurpation 
untried,  which  the  wildest  suspicion  could  have  imagined.  Thus 


172  LIFE    OF   UEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

have  they  themselves  justified  the  resistance  of  the  South  to  God 
and  man,  and  made  it  clearer  than  the  sun,  that  it  was  not  one 
whit  too  early  or  too  strenuous. 

The  great  charge  made  against  the  South  by  the  Northern 
Democrats  was,  that  she  had  sought  defence  by  leaving  the 
Union,  instead  of  remaining  in  it,  and  trusting  to  their  great 
conservative  party  for  the  protection  of  their  rights.  Said  they : 
"  We  guarantee  you,  in  the  Union,  every  privilege  which  the 
Constitution  gives  you ;  but  if  you  attempt  to  leave  it,  we  become 
your  enemies."  On  this  pretext  that  party  have,  with  a  base 
ness  beyond  that  of  the  Black  Republicans,  betrayed  every 
principle  of  their  own  creed,  to  join  them  in  their  persecution  of 
us.  Our  answer  is  in  the  question:  Have  they  been  able  to 
protect  their  own  rights  in  that  Union  ?  And,  is  this  the  extent 
of  our  offence,  that  we  were  not  willing  to  commit  our  precious 
liberties  to  the  sole  guardianship  of  those  who  have  surrendered 
every  right  of  their  own,  without  one  blow  in  their  defence, 
with  a  folly  and  poltroonery  unexampled  in  the  history  of  reptiles, 
not  to  say  of  men,  at  the  first  demand  of  a  despicable  and  upstart 
despotism  ?  Never  was  there  a  rejoinder  so  biting  or  so  right 
eous  as  that  which  the  cowardice  of  the  Northern  Democracy 
puts  into  our  mouths,  against  this,  their  favorite  accusation. 
For,  which  of  the  privileges  of  freemen  is  it  which  we  have  not 
seen  them  betray  in  their  own  case ;  freedom  from  illegal  arrest, 
the  benefit  of  the  writ  of  habeas  corpus,  liberty  of  speech,  liberty 
of  printing,  free  and  untrammelled  suffrage,  liberty  of  con 
science  in  the  worship  of  God,  rights  of  property,  or  freedom  of 
their  own  persons  from  military  rule  ? 

It  has  been  clamorously  asserted  that  the  insolence  of  the 
South  in  taking  the  aggressive  by  the  first  acts  of  violence,  and 
firing  upon  the  national  flag,  left  the  Government  no  option,  con 
sistent  with  self-respect,  save  to  resist.  The  statement  is  false. 


REDUCTION   OF   FORT   SUMTEE   AN   ACT   OF   SELF-DEFENCE.    173 

The  violation  of  the  Federal  compact  by  the  North,  restored  to 
the  South  its  inherent  right  to  a  peaceable  withdrawal ;  and  they 
who  attempted  to  obstruct  it  were  the  first  aggressors.  The 
first  act  of  war  was  committed  by  the  Government  at  "Washing 
ton  against  South  Carolina,  when  fortresses  intended  lawfully 
only  for  her  protection,  were  armed  for  her  subjugation.  That 
act  of  war  was  repeated,  when  armed  preparations  were  twice 
made  to  reinforce  these  means  of  her  oppression.  And,  at  last, 
when  she  was  imperiously  warned  that  these  forcible  aggressions 
would  be  consummated,  after  a  forbearance  far  greater  than  the 
Confederate  Government  was  bound  to  exercise,  it  proceeded  to 
what  was  an  act  of  strict  self-defence,  the  reduction  of  Fort 
Sumter.* 


*  Fort  Sumter  has  become  so  celebrated,  both  by  its  being  the  scene  of  the 
first  hostilities  between  the  contending  parties,  and  by  the  splendid  and  success 
ful  defence  which  it  has  since  made  in  the  hands  of  the  Confederates,  against 
the  fleet  and  armies  of  the  North,  that  the  whole  story  connected  with  its  origi 
nal  capture  deserves  to  be  better  known  than  it  is,  generally,  in  Europe.  It  was 
on  December  20,  1860,  that  the  State  of  South  Carolina,  by  the  unanimous  vote 
of  a  Convention,  called  by  her  Legislature,  formally  seceded  from  the  Union. 
At  this  time  Major  R.  Anderson  was  commandant  of  the  Federal  forces  at 
Charleston.  His  head-quarters  were  at  Fort  Moultrie  on  the  mainland;  Fort 
Sumter,  the  strongest  of  all  the  defences,  and  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  bay, 
not  being  occupied.  A  grand  banquet  was  given  in  honor  of  the  Ordinance  of 
Secession,  on  the  evening  of  the  day  (Dec.  20),  on  which  it  passed.  At  mid 
night,  Anderson,  who  must  have  received  secret  orders  how  to  act,  having  spiked 
the  guns,  abandoned  Moultrie,  and  conveyed  all  his  men  and  stores  to  Sumter. 
Next  morning,  to  the  amazement  of  the  South  Carolinians,  they  saw  the  Union 
flag  floating  over  it,  and  found  Anderson  in  possession.  As  was  to  be  expected, 
this  act  of  treachery  greatly  incensed  them  ;  for  the  authorities  of  South  Caro 
lina  had  received  a  pledge  from  President  Buchanan  that  the  existing  military 
status  should  undergo  no  change  in  their  State,  during  the  expiring  term  of  his 
administration.  That  pledge  was  violated  by  this  seizure  and  military  occupa 
tion  of  Sumter ;  and,  notwithstanding  all  remonstrances,  Buchanan,  probably 
under  the  pressure  of  Northern  clamor,  refused  to  order  Anderson  back  again 
to  Moultrie.  The  Secretary  of  War,  J.  B.  Floyd,  who  had  been  a  party  to  the 
promise,  felt  his  honor  so  compromised  by  this  gross  breach  of  faith,  that  he 
instantly  and  indignantly  resigned.  Immediately  after  Mr.  Lincoln  had  entered 


174  LIFE  OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 

But,  it  is  replied,  the  Seceding  States  made  themselves 
robbers,  by  seizing  Federal  ships,  posts,  arms,  and  money,  by 
violence !  It  may  be  asked  in  rejoinder :  Had  the  South  no 
share  in  these  appliances,  provided  with  her  money,  and,  when 
in  her  borders,  having  no  other  legitimate  use  than  her  defence  ? 
But  she  did  not  secede  in  order  to  commit  a  robbery.  The 
proof  is,  that  her  ambassadors  haunted  the  gates  of  the  Federal 
Capitol  for  months,  entreating  to  be  permitted  to  make  an 
equitable  settlement  of  all  these  properties,  until  they  were 
spurned  away.  And  why  were  they  forcibly  seized,  except  that 
she  was  well  assured  the  purpose  was  entertained  to  employ 
them  for  her  ruin  ?  Our  neighbor  and  partner  attempts  to 
obstruct  us  in  the  prosecution  of  our  unquestionable  rights,  by 

on  his  office  as  President,  in  March  1861,  Commissioners  from  the  South  pro 
ceeded  to  Washington,  to  urge  a  peaceable  separation,  and  to  negotiate  for  the 
transfer  of  Government  property,  and,  in  particular,  for  the  removal  of  the 
Federal  garrison  from  Forts  Pickens  and  Sumter.  But  under  the  pretext  that 
to  treat  \vith  them  avowedly  and  officially  might  embarrass  the  administration 
of  Mr.  Lincoln,  they  were  assured  through  an  intermediate  party,  that  all  would 
yet  be  well,  that  the  military  status  of  the  South  would  be  undisturbed,  and 
that  Sumter  would  be  evacuated.  These  assurances  were  given  by  Secretary 
Seward  himself,  verbally  and  in  writing,  through  Judge  Campbell  of  the 
Supreme  Court ;  but  they  were  only  meant  to  deceive.  There  never  wras  any 
intention  to  keep  faith,  or  to  evacuate  Sumter.  It  was  a  dishonest  manoeuvre 
to  gain  time  for  collecting  armaments,  and  preparing  coercive  measures.  The 
military  reinforcement  of  Sumter  was  pronounced  by  General  Scott,  and  other 
advisers  of  Lincoln,  to  be  impracticable,  except  by  artifice  or  surprise.  Hence 
the  deceit  practised,  to  throw  the  Confederates  off  their  guard.  Meanwhile 
unusual  activity  was  perceptible  in  the  Northern  dockyards  and  depots.  Even 
down  to  the  7th  of  April,  it  was  pretended  that  the  evacuation  would  take 
place. 

On  that  very  day,  Judge  Campbell,  uneasy  as  to  Mr.  Seward's  good  faith, 
wrote  to  him  on  the  subject,  and  received  the  emphatic  reply  :  —  «  Faith  as  to 
Sumter  fully  kept  —  wait  and  see"  The  very  next  day  (April  8th)  the  expedi 
tion  started  to  convey  "  provisions  to  a  starving  garrison  ;  "  but  it  consisted  of 
eleven  vessels,  with  an  aggregate  force  of  285  guns,  and  2400  men.  It  arrived 
in  time  to  witness  the  bombardment  and  fall  of  Sumter  on  April  13th ;  lying  at 
anchor,  in  the  distance,  during  the  action,  and  never  firing  a  gun.  The  people 


THE   SOUTH   NO   ROBBER.  175 

brandishing  a  dagger  before  our  eyes,  purchased  partly  with  our 
money.  When  we  wrench  it  from  his  hand  to  save  our  own 
lives,  shall  he  accuse  us  of  stealing  his  dirk  ?  -Yet  such  was  the 
insulting  nonsense  which  was  everywhere  vented  to  make  the 
South  an  offender  for  acts  of  self-defence,  which  the  wicked 
designs  of  the  tyranny  at  Washington  justified  more  and  more 
every  day. 

All  the  pretexts  of  coercion  have  thus  been  reviewed  and 
exposed.  The  crime  of  the  North  stands  forth  without  excuse, 
and  black  with  every  trait  of  guilt.  Its  motive,  impiously 
cloaked  under  the  sacred  profession  of  sustaining  the  law,  was 
to  replace,  by  the  more  speedy  means  of  the  armed  hand,  that 
legislative  and  commercial  plunder  which  had  been  so  long 
practised,  and  to  indulge  a  festering  hatred.  Its  perpetrators 
were  the  people  who  claimed  the  largest  share  of  the  light  and 
religiousness  of  the  nineteenth  century.  Its  victims  were  not 
aliens,  but  countrymen,  brethren,  and  fellow-citizens.  Its  conduct 


of  Charleston  had  put  the  intended  surprise  out  of  the  question ;  but  the  Lin 
coln  Administration,  nevertheless,  accomplished  one  great  object  for  which  they 
had  been  scheming.  They  had  procured  the  battle  of  Sumter  ;  they  had  got  the 
South  to  take^thc  initiatory  step  of  resistance.  Henceforth  the  Federal  Govern 
ment,  while  in  reality  commencing  a  war  which  they  had  fully  resolved  upon, 
could  make  it  appear  that  they  were  involved  in  it  by  the  force  of  circumstances, 
rather  than  of  their  own  choice,  and  that  the  South  having  fired  the  first  shot 
was  responsible  for  all  the  consequences.  Such  was  the  impression  produced, 
and  intended  to  be  produced,  in  Europe ;  while  the  attack  on  the  national  flag, 
it  was  foreseen,  could  not  fail  to  stir  public  sentiment  to  its  lowest  depth,  and 
create  a  united  war  party  in  the  North.  Hence  it  was  enough  that  the  Federal 
forces  in  Sumter  should  make  a  mere  show  of  resistance.  Anderson  accord 
ingly  just  held  the  place  as  long  as  the  rules  of  military  honor  required,  and 
then  surrendered  it  unconditionally,  without  having  lost  a  man  ;  whilst  the 
fleet  looked  on,  at  a  distance,  and  never  attempted  to  come  to  his  aid.  We  are 
entitled  therefore  to  repudiate  the  charge  of  having  commenced  the  war,  by 
making  the  first  appeal  to  arms.  Granted  that  the  first  shot  was  fired  by  the 
South,  the  first  military  aggression  was  on  the  side  of  the  North.  The  Federal 
Government  are  responsible  for  all. 


176  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEKERAL   JACKSON. 

has  embodied  every  barbarity  which  could  be  practised  by  Hun, 
or  Vandal,  or  Scythian.  It  has  already  shed  more  human  blood, 
and  crushed  more  hearts,  than  any  war  of  modern  ages.  Recit 
ing  all  these  aggravations,  the  people  of  the  Confederate  States 
believe  that  no  blacker  national  crime  has  challenged  the 
lightning  of  heaven's  wrath;  therefore  it  is,  that  among  this 
people,  the  best  men  are  most  resolved  to  resist  it.  If  there 
are  any  of  the  children  of  the  soil  who  excuse  it,  they  are  either 
the  cowards,  or  the  stupidly  ignorant,  or  the  mercenary,  whose 
souls  are  bartered  for  filthy  lucre.  Every  pure  and  noble  man, 
like  Jackson,  every  most  devout  soldier,  the  generous  Southern 
women,  the  virtuous  and  cultivated  citizens,  the  incorruptible 
judges  of  the  law,  the  venerable  and  holy  ministers  of  religion, 
these  have  committed  their  lives,  and  fortunes,  and  sacred  honor 
to  the  defence  of  the  Confederate  States,  as  one  man. 


FIEST   CAMPAIGN   IN   THE   YALLEY.  177 


CHAPTER    VI. 

FIRST   CAMPAIGN   IN   THE   VALLEY. 

THE  reduction  of  Fort  Sumter  aroused  at  the  North  a  general 
paroxysm  of  fury  and  revenge.  Wherever  there  was  enough 
of  the  spirit  of  moderation  and  justice  to  dissent,  violent  mobs 
were  collected,  which  intimidated  not  only  the  press,  but  the 
pulpit,  and  exacted  a  pretended  approval  of  the  war-frenzy. 
The  cry  was,  that  the  flag  of  the  Union  had  been  insulted,  the 
Government  assailed  by  treason,  and  the  very  life  of  the  nation 
threatened.  But  even  then,  the  enormity  of  the  purposed  crime 
of  subduing  free  and  equal  States  by  violence,  was  so  palpably 
felt,  that  the  public  mind,  passionate  as  it  was,  acknowledged  the 
necessity  for  a  pretext.  This  was  found  in  the  false  assertion 
that  the  Confederate  States  had  inaugurated  war,  and  thus 
justified  a  resort  to  force,  —  a  misrepresentation  which  has 
already  been  refuted.  It  was  claimed  for  the  North,  that  its 
temper  was  just  and  pacific;  and  the  contrast  between  the 
seeming  calmness  of  her  people  before,  and  their  tumultuous 
excitement  after  the  first  conflict,  was  pointed  to  as  proof  that 
they  meditated  no  violence,  and  were  only  driven  to  a  forcible 
defence  of  the  Government,  by  the  wickedness  of  the  South.  But 
the  true  explanation  of  the  tempest  is,  that  the  North  had  just 
awakened  to  the  fact,  of  which  it  was  incredulous  before,  that  the 
South  was  in  earnest  in  the  assertion  of  its  rights.  The  difficulty 
of  believing  this  arose  in  part  from  the  many  concessions  of  right 

23 


LIFE   OF   UEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

which  the  long-suffering  South  had  made,  from  her  long-continued, 
but  futile  expostulations,  together  with  the  ill-judged  and  passion 
ate  threats  which  her  wrongs  had  often  provoked  from  some  of 
her  politicians,  and,  in  part,  from  the  unspeakable  vanity  of  the 
North,  and  its  overweening  conceit  of  its  own  power.     The  whole 
preparation  of  the  Confederate  States  for  self-defence,  and  the 
solemn  warnings  uttered  by  Virginia  and  the  other  Border  States, 
were  mocked  at  as  only  a  new  phase  of  political  manoeuvre. 
Often  they  affected  a  sort  of  good-natured  forbearance,  and  spoke 
of  not  "  whipping  the  spoiled  children  back  into  the  Union,"  until 
they  were  obliged  to  do  it.    In  the  political  slang  which  degraded 
the  deliberations  of  the  Capitol,  it  was  currently  asserted  that 
those  States  «  could  not  be  kicked  out  of  the  Union."     But,  now, 
the  North  awoke  out  of  this  insane  dream  of  delusion,  to  find 
that  the  South  meant,  and  always  had  meant,  what  it  said.     Two 
purposes  had  long  since  grown  up,  and  become  fixed  in  the 
Northern   mind:     One   was,   not   to    surrender   the  legislative 
plunder  which  they  had  long  gathered  from  the  South,  and  which 
would  be  lost  to  them  by  its  independence  j  the  other  was,  not  to 
make  it  contented  in  the  Union,  by  a  just  concession  of  its  rights. 
So  long  as  the  South  could  be  kept  quiet  by  mock  compromises 
which  secured  it  nothing,  and  by  wheedling  words,  the  North 
was  very  willing  to  expend  these  cheap  means  for  that  end ;  but 
so  soon  as  it  learned  that  the  South  was  at  last  in  earnest  in 
asserting  its  rights,  it  became  thoroughly  in  earnest  also.     The 
ruthless  purpose  of  domination  was  at  once  revealed.     Not  only 
did  the  fragment  of  the  Federal  Government  diligently  prepare 
for  a  great  war,  but  the  people  and  the  States  began  to  provide 
munitions  and  raise  troops,  on  a  vast  scale. 

The  prognostications  indulged  by  speakers  and  newspapers, 
were  as  vainglorious,  as  their  purposes  were  revengeful.  The 
common  language  breather!  threatening  and  slaughter,  and 


PREPARATIONS  FOB  DEFENCE.  179 

demanded  the  sack,  ruin,  and  extermination  of  the  Southern 
people.  To  effect  this,  they  thought  the  mighty  North  had  only 
to  lift  up  its  little  finger.  The  South  was  disdainfully  described 
as  poor,  semi-barbarian,  cowardly,  unfurnished  for  war,  and  sunk 
in  effeminacy;  and  the  common  expectation  was,  that  nothing 
more  was  needed  to  wrap  the  whole  country  in  the  flames  of  a 
servile  insurrection,  than  the  signal  of  a  Yankee  invasion.  In 
this  spirit,  equally  fool-hardy  and  fiendish,  the  North  rushed  to 
the  tremendous  conflict. 

Before  Virginia  seceded,  the  sword  had  been  definitively 
drawn;  indeed,  it  was  this  crime,  which  decided  her  to  assert 
her  independence.  The  legislative  act  was  therefore  accom 
panied,  and  immediately  followed,  by  prompt  preparations  for 
defence. 

The  only  standing  army  which  the  State  possessed,  was  a 
single  company  of  soldiers,  who  guarded  the  public  property  of 
the  Commonwealth  at  the  Capitol.  Her  old  militia  system, 
which  only  required  three  exceedingly  perfunctory  drills  a  year, 
had,  for  some  time,  fallen  into  desuetude,  and  was  just  revived. 
The  State  had  no  men,  who  possessed  any  tincture  of  military 
training,  except  a  few  volunteer  companies  in  her  cities,  and  a 
few  hundred  alumni  of  the  military  academies  at  West  Point  and 
Lexington.  Very  few  of  these  companies  were  armed.  The 
armory  of  the  State  was  in  decay,  its  machinery  rusting,  and  its 
arsenal  only  furnished  with  a  few  thousand  muskets  of  anti 
quated  make.  The  enterprise  of  private  citizens,  and  the  spirit 
of  the  country,  more  advanced  than  that  of  their  rulers,  had  in 
deed  led  to  the  arming  of  a  number  of  volunteer  companies, 
after  the  attack  of  John  Brown ;  and  for  these,  a  few  thousand 
rifles  had  been  purchased  by  the  parties  themselves.  But  the 
authorities  of  the  State  now  set  themselves,  in  earnest,  to  repair 
these  omissions.  The  Convention,  having  passed  the  Ordinance 


180  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSON. 

of  Secession  the  17th  of  April,  proceeded  to  appoint  a  Council 
of  Three,  to  assist  the  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth  in  his 
military  duties.  Orders  were  issued  to  the  volunteer  companies, 
which  were  springing  into  existence  in  every  part  of  the  State, 
to  assemble  in  camps  of  instruction.  The  manufacture  of  can 
non,  projectiles,  and  muskets  was  resumed.  Colonel  Robert  E. 
Lee,  having  resigned  his  commission  from  the  Federal  Govern 
ment,  had  been  invited  to  Richmond,  immediately  after  the  with 
drawal  of  Virginia,  and  offered  his  services  to  his  native  State. 
His  high  character,  patriotism,  professional  knowledge,  and  exec 
utive  ability,  were,  fortunately,  appreciated,  and  he  was  at  once 
appointed  Major-General  and  Commander-in- Chief  of  all  the 
forces  of  the  Commonwealth,  by  land  and  sea.  Under  his 
vigorous  and  sagacious  management,  order  instantly  began  to 
arise  out  of  chaos,  and  the  excited  masses  of  patriotic  citizens 
assumed  the  proportions  of  an  army.  The  most  important  of 
the. camps  of  instruction  was  that  named  after  him,  Camp  Lee, 
a  mile  beyond  the  western  suburbs  of  Richmond.  Here,  several 
thousands  of  volunteers  were  assembled;  and,  to  provide  for 
their  instruction,  it  was  resolved  to  bring  the  more  advanced 
Cadets  of  the  Military  School  from  Lexington,  to  perform  the 
duties  of  drill-scrjcants.  The  senior  teachers  of  the  school 
were  already  in  Richmond,  and  this  circumstance  devolved  the 
duty  of  conducting  the  cadets  thither  upon  Major  Jackson. 

The  bursting  of  the  storm,  which  he  had  so  long  foreseen, 
found  him  calm,  but  resolved.  About  this  time,  a  Christian 
friend,  in  whose  society  he  greatly  delighted,  passed  a  night  with 
him,  and,  as  they  discussed  the  startling  news  which  every  day 
brought  with  it;  they  were  impelled  to  the  conclusion  that  the 
madness  of  the  Federal  Government  had  made  a  great  and 
disastrous  war  inevitable.  The  guest  retired  to  his  bed  de 
pressed  by  this  thought,  and,  in  the  morning,  arose  harassed  and 


HIS   LABORS   IN    PREPARATION.  181 

melancholy.  But,  to  his  surprise,  Jackson  met  him  at  the  morning 
worship,  as  calm  and  cheerful  as  ever,  and  when  he  expressed 
liis  anxieties,  replied,  "  Why  should  the  peace  of  a  true  Chris 
tian  be  disturbed  by  anything  which  man  can  do  unto  him? 
Has  not  God  promised  to  make  all  things  work  together  for 
good  to  them  that  love  him  ?  " 

The  county  of  Rockbridge,  like  the  rest  of  the  State,  was  in 
a  blaze  of  excitement,  and  its  volunteers  were  arming  and  hur 
rying  to  the  scene  of  action.  Now  it  was  that  the  hold  which, 
notwithstanding  his  reputation  for  singularity,  Major  Jackson 
had  upon  the  confidence  of  his  countrymen,  revealed  itself.  To 
his  practical  wisdom  and  energy  they  looked,  in  every  difficulty 
of  their  organization  and  equipment.  These  calls,  with  the  care 
of  the  Military  Academy,  occupied  all  his  time.  On  Wednes 
day,  April  17th,  the  presbytery  of  Lexington  met  in  his  church 
to  hold  its  semi-annual  session.  These  meetings,  with  their 
frequent  opportunities  for  public  worship  and  preaching,  and 
their  delightful  hospitalities,  have  ever  been,  in  Virginia,  reli 
gious  festivals.  Major  Jackson  had  been  anticipating  this 
reunion  with  great  pleasure,  and  was  preparing  to  entertain 
some  of  its  members  in  his  house.  But  the  absorbing  occupa 
tions  of  the  week  deprived  him  of  every  opportunity  to  attend 
either  their  meetings,  or  their  worship.  As  he  retired  to  rest 
on  Saturday  night,  he  remarked  that  he  hoped  for  a  quiet 
Sabbath-day,  in  which  it  would  be  his  privilege  to  worship 
undisturbed,  and  to  participate  in  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  which  was  to  be  dispensed  in  the  church ;  and  he  re 
quested  that  politics  and  the  troubles  of  the  country  might  be 
banished  from  their  conversation,  that  he  might  enjoy  communion 
with  God  and  his  people  undisturbed.  But  at  day-break,  on 
Sabbath  morning,  April  21st,  an  order  arrived  from  the  Gov 
ernor  of  the  State,  to  march  the  Cadets  that  day  for  Richmond. 


182  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

Having  given  his  wife  some  directions  touching  his  own  prepa 
rations  for  the  journey,  he  immediately  hurried  to  the  Institute, 
and  busied  himself  in  the  arrangements  for  his  pupils'  departure. 
One  of  these  was  to  call  upon  his  pastor,  and  request  him  to 
attend  at  twelve  o'clock  A.  M.,  to  give  them  some  Christian 
counsels  and  a  parting  prayer.  At  eleven  o'clock  A.  M.,  he 
returned  to  his  house,  took  a  hurried  breakfast,  and  retired 
with  his  wife  to  their  chamber,  where  he  read  the  5th  chapter 
of  2d  Corinthians,  commencing  with  the  sublime  and  consoling 
words :  "  For  we  know,  that  if  our  earthly  house  of  this  taber 
nacle  be  dissolved,  we  have  a  building  of  God,  an  house  not 
made  with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens."  He  then  knelt,  and 
poured  out  a  fervent  prayer  for  themselves  and  for  the  country, 
imploring  God,  in  accents  choked  with  tears,  if  it  was  compatible 
with  His  holy  will,  that  the  storm  might  yet  be  calmed,  and  war 
averted.  He  thus  departed ;  and  this  happy  home  he  never  saw 
again.  Although  he  left  his  affairs  thus  unsettled,  he  never 
asked  nor  received  one  day  of  furlough.  From  that  time,  he 
never  lodged  one  night  outside  the  lines  of  his  command.  His 
next  return  to  Lexington  was  as  a  corpse,  bedewed  by  a  nation's 
tears.  After  a  few  days,  his  family  removed,  by  his  advice,  to 
the  house  of  a  friend,  his  furniture  was  packed,  his  dwelling- 
house  closed,  and  his  servants  placed  out  for  the  war. 

Having  mustered  the  Cadets,  and  made  everything  ready  for 
their  departure,  at  twelve  o'clock,  he  invited  Dr.  White  to  begin 
the  religious  service  which  he  had  requested,  remarking  signifi 
cantly,  "Doctor,  we  march  at  one  o'clock  precisely."  This 
hint  against  an  undue  prolongation  of  the  worship  was  so  well 
observed,  that  the  services  were  concluded  fifteen  minutes  before 
that  hour.  One  of  his  officers,  after  a  few  moments'  pause, 
approaching  him,  said  :  "  Major,  everything  is  now  ready,  may  we 
not  set  out  ?  "  To  this  he  made  no  reply,  save  to  point  to  the 


HIS  LETTERS  FROM  CAMP  LEE.  183 

dial-plate  of  the  great  clock ;  and  when  it  was  upon  the  stroke 
of  one,  he  gave  the  word :  "  Forward  !  March  !  "  The  corps  of 
Cadets  was  conducted  to  Staunton;  and  thence,  by  railroad,  to 
Richmond,  and  turned  over  to  the  commandant  of  Camp  Lee. 
During  a  momentary  pause  in  their  journey,  on  the  eastern 
slope  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  he  wrote  to  his  wife :  "  Here,  as  well 
as  at  other  points  of  the  line,  the  war-spirit  is  intense.  The 
cars  had  scarcely  stopped  here  before  a  request  was  made  that 
I  would  leave  a  Cadet  to  drill  a  company." 

From  Richmond  he  wrote,  April  23d:  "Colonel  Lee  of  the 
army  is  here,  and  has  been  made  Major-General.  His  (services) 
I  regard  as  of  more  value  to  us  than  General  Scott  could  render 
as  commander."  (This  was  an  allusion  to  a  report,  by  which 
the  people  had  just  been  excited,  that  General  Winfield  Scott, 
the  conqueror  of  Mexico,  and  a  son  of  Virginia,  was  about  to 
return,  to  espouse  the  cause  of  his  native  State.)  "It  is  under 
stood  that  General  Lee  is  to  be  Commander-in-Chief.  I  regard 
him  as  a  better  officer  than  General  Scott." 

"  The  Cadets  are  encamped  at  the  Fair  Grounds,  which  are 
about  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  city.  We  have  excellent 
quarters.  So  far  as  we  can  hear,  God  is  crowning  our  cause 
with  success ;  but  I  do  not  wish  to  send  rumors  to  you.  I  will 
try  to  give  facts  as  they  become  known ;  though  I  may  not  have 
time  to  write  more  than  a  line  or  so.  The  governor,  and  others 
holding  responsible  offices,  have  not  enough  time  for  their  duties  j 
they  are  so  enormous  at  this  date." 

The  Camp  of  Instruction  near  Richmond  being  in  charge  of 
another  officer,  Major  Jackson  had  no  responsible  duties  to  per 
form  there  during  his  short  stay.  He  was  exceedingly  anxious 
for  active  employment ;  and,  it  must  be  added,  distrustful  of  his 
prospects  of  obtaining  it.  For,  his  acute,  though  silent  perspi 
cacity  taught  him  plainly  enough,  that  the  estimate  formed  of 


184  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

his  powers  by  the  major  part  of  the  people  and  the  authorities, 
was  depreciatory.  But  he  disdained  to  agitate,  or  solicit  for 
promotion ;  and  busied  himself  quietly  in  assisting,  at  the  camp, 
informally,  in  the  drill  and  discipline  of  the  mass  of  new  sol 
diers  there  collected.  One  day  he  was  accosted  by  one  of 
these,  an  entire  stranger,  who  told  him  that  he  had  just  been 
assigned  as  corporal  of  the  guard  for  the  day,  that  he  was  abso 
lutely  ignorant  of  the  details  of  his  duties,  that  the  officer  who 
had  given  him  his  orders,  as  ignorant,  perhaps,  as  himself,  had 
left  him  without  instructions ;  and  that  seeing,  by  his  uniform,  he 
was  an  officer  of  rank,  he  wished  to  beg  him  for  some  aid. 
Major  Jackson  at  once  assented.  He  went  with  the  soldier 
around  the  whole  circuit  of  sentry-posts,  taught  him  practically 
all  the  salutes,  the  challenges,  and  the  instructions  to  be 
observed,  and  displayed  such  thorough  knowledge  and  goodness 
at  once,  that  he  declared  from  that  hour  Jackson  had  won  not 
only  his  respect  but  his  love.  It  was  these,  not  arts  of  popu 
larity,  but  actual  virtues,  which  bound  the  hearts  of  his  men 
to  him. 

When  the  State  had  such  urgent  need  of  practical  talent,  it 
was  impossible  that  an  officer  of  Major  Jackson's  reputation 
should  be  wholly  overlooked.  A  few  days  after  he  reached 
Camp  Lee;  it  was  determined  by  the  Executive  War  Council  to 
employ  him  in  the  engineer  department,  with  the  rank  of  Major. 
This  arrangement  his  advocates  justly  regarded  as  unfriendly  to 
him,  for  it  gave  him  no  actual  promotion,  while  the  State  was 
showering  titles  and  rank  on  scores  of  men  who  had  never  seen 
service;  and  it  assigned  him  a  branch  of  duty  for  which  he 
always  professed  least  taste  and  qualification.  For  placing  a 
battery,  an  earthwork,  or  a  line  of  battle,  indeed,  his  judgment 
was  almost  infallible ;  but  he  was  no  draughtsman,  and  to  set 
him  to  the  drudgery  of  compiling  maps,  was  a  sacrifice  of  his 


JACKSON   APPOINTED    COLONEL.  185 

reputation  and  of  his  high  capacities  for  command.  But  as  soon 
as  this  purpose  was  made  known,  and  before  it  was  reported  to 
the  Convention  for  their  approval,  influential  friends  from  Jack 
son's  native  district,  by  whom  his  powers  were  better  esteemed, 
remonstrated  with  the  Council,  and  showed  them  that  he  was  the 
very  man  for  a  post  of  primary  importance  for  which  they  were 
then  seeking  a  commander.  By  their  advice,  seconded  by  that 
of  Governor  Letcher,  this  appointment  was  revoked,  and  he  was 
commissioned,  Colonel  of  the  Virginia  forces,  and  ordered  to 
take  command  at  Harper's  Ferry.  The  next  day  this  appoint 
ment  was  sent  to  the  Convention  for  their  sanction,  when  some 
one  asked,  "  Who  is  this  Major  Jackson,  that  we  are  asked  to 
commit  to  him  so  responsible  a  post  ?  "  "  He  is  one,"  replied 
the  member  from  Rockbridge,  "  who,  if  you  order  him  to  hold  a 
post,  will  never  leave  it  alive  to  be  occupied  by  the  enemy." 
The  Governor  accordingly  handed  him  his  commission  as  Colo 
nel,  on  Saturday,  April  27th,  and  he  departed  at  once  for  his 
command.  On  the  way  he  wrote  thus  to  his  wife :  — 

"Winchester,  April  29/7^ —  I  expect  to  leave  here  about  half- 
past  two  P.  M.  to-day,  for  Harper's  Ferry.  I  am  thankful  to  say 
that  an  ever-kind  Providence,  who  causes  'all  tilings  to  work 
together  for  good  to  them  that  love  him,'  has  given  me  the  post 
which  I  prefer  above  all  others,  and  has  given  me  an  independent 
command.  To  His  name  be  all  the  praise. 

"  You  must  not  expect  to  hear  from  me  very  often,  as  I  expect 
to  have  more  work  than  I  have  ever  had,  in  the  same  length  of 
time,  before ;  but  don't  be  concerned  about  me,  as  an  ever-kind 
Pleavenly  Father  will  give  me  all  needful  aid." 

This  letter  is  a  truthful  revelation  of  his  character ;  on  the 
one  hand,  full  of  that  self-reliance  and  consciousness  of  power, 
which  made  him  long  for  a  conspicuous  position  and  an  indepen 
dent  command :  and  on  the  other,  recognizing  the  gratification  of 

24 


186  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

this  wish  as  a  mark  of  God's  favor,  and  resting  upon  His  aid, 
with  an  eminent  faith,  for  all  his  success  and  fame. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  two  notable  events  had  occurred  in 
Virginia,  of  which  one  was  the  evacuation  of  the  great  naval 
depot  in  Norfolk  Harbor  by  the  Federal  authorities,  after  its 
partial  destruction ;  and  the  other  was,  the  desertion  of  Harper's 
Ferry. 

This  little  village,  which  events  have  rendered  so  famous,  is 
situated  on  the  tongue  of  land  between  the  junction  of  the  Po 
tomac  and  Shenandoah  rivers.  The  former  of  these  is  the 
boundary  between  Virginia  and  Maryland.  The  latter,  collect 
ing  its  tributaries  southwest  of  Harper's  Ferry,  in  the  great 
valley  of  Virginia,  flows  northeastward  along  the  western  base 
of  the  Blue  Ridge,  until  it  meets  the  Potomac  where  that  river 
forces  its  passage  through  this  mountain  range,  to  find  its  way 
towards  the  sea.  The  abundant  water-power,  the  interior  posi 
tion,  and  its  proximity  to  a  plentiful  country,  had  led  to  its 
selection  by  the  Federal  Government,  for  the  manufacture  and 
storing  of  fire-arms.  The  banks  of  the  two  streams  were  lined 
with  factories,  where  muskets  and  rifles  of  the  most  approved 
patterns  were  made  in  large  numbers ;  and  in  the  village  were 
the  arsenals,  where  many  thousands  were  stored.  The  space 
between  the  two  rivers  is  also  filled  by  a  mountain  of  secondary 
elevation,  called  Bolivar  Heights,  and  on  the  lower  declivities  of 
this  ridge,  as  it  descends  to  the  junction  of  the  two  streams,  the 
town  is  built  in  a  rambling  fashion.  East  of  the  Shenandoah 
the  Blue  Bidge  rises  immediately  from  the  waters,  overlooking 
the  village,  and  the  sides  of  Bolivar  Heights.  Here  the  moun 
tain,  lying  in  the  county  of  Loudoun,  is  called  Loudoun  Heights. 
North  of  it,  and  across  the  Potomac,  the  twin  mountain,  bearing 
the  name  of  Maryland  Heights,  rises  to  an  equal  altitude,  and 
commands  the  whole  valley  of  the  Potomac  above.  From  this 


OCCUPATION   OF   HARPER'S   FERRY.  187 

description,  it  is  manifest  that  Harper's  Ferry  is  worthless  as  a 
defensive  military  post,  when  assailed  by  a  large  force,  unless  it 
were  also  garrisoned  by  a  great  army,  and  supplied  with  a  vast 
artillery,  sufficient  to  crown  all  the  triangle  of  mountains  which 
surround  it,  and  to  connect  those  crests  effectually  with  each 
other.  It  had  never  been  designed  for  a  fortress,  and  there  was 
nothing  whatever  of  the  character  of  fortifications  around  it. 
But  as  a  preliminary  point,  it  was  of  prime  importance  to  hold 
it,  both  to  protect  Virginia  against  incursions,  and  to  restrict  the 
convenience  of  her  enemy.  Through  the  gorge  opened  in  the 
Blue  Ridge  by  the  Potomac,  passes  also  the  Chesapeake  and 
Ohio  Canal,  the  great  turnpike  road  from  the  regions  of  the 
Upper  Potomac  to  the  cities  of  Washington  and  Baltimore,  and 
the  railroad,  which  constitutes  the  grand  connexion  of  those 
cities  with  the  coal-fields  whence  they  draw  their  fuel,  and  with 
the  great  West.  Besides  this,  the  railroad  leading  southward  to 
Winchester,  diverges  from  Harper's  Ferry,  and  ascends  the  val 
ley  of  the  Shenandoah.  Hence,  the  occupation  of  this  point,  as 
a  focus,  was  regarded  by  the  government  of  Virginia,  as  of 
radical  importance,  and  it  was  obviously  the  advanced  post  of 
all  her  defences. 

As  soon  as  war  became  imminent,  the  minds  of  the  people 
were  turned  to  the  value  of  the  arms  stored  at  Harper's  Ferry, 
because  they  were  precisely  what  Virginia  lacked.  Almost 
without  prompting  from  the  authorities,  the  militia  was  assem 
bling  in  the  neighborhood  to  capture  the  place ;  when  the  officer 
in  command  of  the  Federal  guard  attempted  to  destroy  the  fac 
tories  and  arsenals,  and  fled  to  Carlisle,  in  Pennsylvania.  His 
designs  against  the  former  were  abortive,  and  a  quantity  of 
machinery  and  materials,  which  proved  of  priceless  value  to  the 
Commonwealth,  was  rescued ;  but  when  the  militia  entered  the 
village,  the  storehouses,  which  had  contained  thousands  of  valu- 


188  LIFE    OF    LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

able  arms,  were  wrapped  in  flames.  It  was  indeed  ascertained, 
that  the  larger  part  of  the  muskets  were  not  consumed  with  the 
buildings,  but  were  stolen  and  secreted  by  the  inhabitants  of  the 
place.  Of  these,  a  few  thousands  were  discovered,  hidden  in 
every  conceivable  place  of  concealment,  and  gathered  for  the 
State  by  the  officers  of  the  militia,  while  many  of  the  privates 
armed  themselves,  by  traffic  with  the  venal  populace.  Meantime, 
other  companies  of  volunteers  flocked  from  the  valley  of  Virginia 
to  the  place,  until  the  materials  of  a  little  army  were  assembled 
there.  But  they  were  "  without  form  and  void." 

It  was  at  this  juncture  that  Colonel  Jackson  took  command. 
He  was  ordered  by  Major-General  Lee  to  organize  the  companies 
of  volunteers,  assembled  at  Harper's  Ferry,  into  regiments,  and 
to  instruct  them  diligently  in  military  drill  and  discipline,  to 
retain  control  of  the  great  thoroughfares  leading  towards  Wash 
ington  city,  and  prevent  their  use  by  the  Federal  authorities  for 
offensive  purposes,  even  by  their  partial  destruction,  if  necessary; 
to  urge  on  the  completion  of  fire-arms   out  of  the  materials 
already  partially  prepared  at  the  factories,  until  such  time  as  the 
machinery  could  be  removed  to  the  interior :  and  to  defend  the 
soil  of  Virginia  from  the  invasion  threatened  from  that  quarter. 
About  this  time,  there  were  assembled  at  Harper's  Ferry,  2100 
Virginian  troops,  with  400  Kentuckians,  consisting  of  Imboden's, 
Eogers',  Alburti's,  and  Graves'  batteries  of  field  artillery,  with 
fifteen  guns  of  the  lightest  calibre ;  eight  companies  of  cavalry 
without  drill  or  battalion  organization,  and  nearly  without  arms ; 
and  a  number  of  companies  of  infantry,  of  which  three  regiments, 
the  2d,  5th,  and  10th,  were  partially  arranged,  while  the  rest  had 
no  organization.     The  Convention  had  just  passed  a  very  neces 
sary  law,  revoking  the  commissions  of  all  the  militia  officers  in 
command  of  vQlunteer  forces ;  for  their  appointments,  made  long 
before,  when  the  military  system  of  the  State  was  only  a  name. 


189 


on  every  conceivable  ground  of  political  <>r  Ic/cal  popularity, 
were  no  evidence  whatever  of  fitness  for  actual  command.  These 
decapitated  generals  and  colonels  were,  naturally,  disaffected  to 
the  new  order  in  military  affairs.  Of  discipline  there  was 
almost  none,  and  the  force  was  apparently  about  to  disintegrate 
and  separate  as  rapidly  as  it  had  been  gathered.  Everybody 
wanted  a  furlough,  for  they  had  come  as  to  a  frolic.  There  was 
no  general  staff,  no  hospital,  nor  ordnance  department,  and 
scarcely  six  rounds  of  ammunition  to  the  man. 

To  this  confused  mass  Colonel  Jackson  came  a  stranger  hav 
ing  not  a  single  acquaintance  in  the  whole  command.  He  brought 
two  of  his  colleagues  in  the  military  school,  Major  Preston  and 
Colonel  Massic,  who  virtually  composed  his  staff,  and  two  young 
men  whom  he  employed  as  drill-masters.  With  their  aid,  his 
energy,  impartiality,  fairness  and  courtesy,  speedily  reduced 
the  crude  rabble  to  order  and  consistency.  The  little  army,  like 
the  generous  young  courser,  recognized  a  master  in  the  first 
touch  of  the  reins ;  and  speedily  the  restive  temper,  which  had 
been  provoked  by  the  incompetent  hands  that  essayed  to  guide 
it,  gave,  place  to  joy  and  docility.  The  reputation  of  Colonel 
Jackson  as  a  stark  fighter  in  the  Mexican  War,  laid  the 
foundation  for  his  influence ;  for,  among  new  soldiers,  it  clothed 
his  person  and  authority  with  a  fascination  which  charmed  and 
stimulated  their  fancy.  His  justice  engaged  the  approbation 
of  every  man's  conscience ;  his  unaffected  goodness  allured  their 
love,  and,  if  insubordination  was  attempted,  his  sternness  awed 
them  into  submission.  Once  or  twice  only  some  wilful  young 
officer  made  experiment  of  resisting  his  authority  •  and  then  the 
snowy  brow  began  to  congeal  with  stony  rigor,  the  calm  blue 
eye  to  kindle  with  that  blaze,  steady  at  once  and  intense,  before 
which  every  other  eye  quailed;  and  his  penalties  were  so 
prompt  and  inexorable,  that  no  one  desired  to  adventure  another 


190  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL    JACKSOX. 

act  of  disobedience.  His  force  was  ultimately  increased  by  the 
accession  of  volunteers  from  Virginia,  arid  of  a  few  Southern 
troops,  to  forty-five  hundred  men.  Ammunition  was  forwarded 
to  him,  additional  cannon  of  heavy  calibre  were  procured,  and 
the  Pendlcton  battery,  from  his  own  village,  afterwards  famous 
on  many  a  hard-fought  field,  was  added  to  his  command. 

Several  questions  of  peculiar  delicacy  were  to  be  handled 
by  him.  One  was  the  control  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad.  From  the  western  boundary  of  Maryland  to  the 
Ohio  river,  this  great  thoroughfare  passed  through  the  territory 
of  Virginia  by  two  branches.  It  had  opened  up  to  the  inhab 
itants  valuable  access  to  the  eastern  cities,  which  many  of  them 
prized  more  than  liberties,  or  the  claims  of  either  the  Union 
or  Virginia.  If  commercial  intercourse  along  this  road  were 
hindered,  it  was  feared  that  the  vacillating  allegiance  of  the 
Northwest  to  the  State  would  be  utterly  overthrown.  Colonel 
Jackson  therefore  resolved  to  leave  the  road  uninterrupted  for 
all  peaceful  travel  and  traffic  for  the  present. 

The  Maryland  Heights  overlooked  the  village  from  the  north, 
and,  if  they  were  occupied  by  the  enemy  with  artillery,  his 
position  there  would  be  rendered  untenable.  But  Maryland 
then  professed  to  be  neutral;  it  was  hoped  that  she  would, 
before  long,  espouse  the  cause  of  the  South ;  and  the  authorities 
of  Virginia  wished  to  respect  her  territory,  and  all  her  rights, 
so  long  as  she  did  not  become  one  of  our  enemies.  One 
expedient  proposed  by  General  Lee  was,  to  induce  Marylanders 
to  enlist  in  the  war,  in  sufficient  numbers  to  hold  the  crest  of 
the  mountain,  and  commit  its  guardianship  to  them.  But  the 
people  of  that  region  were  too  timid  and  undecided  to  concur  in 
such  a  plan.  Another  was,  to  postpone  the  occupancy  of  the 
mountain  until  the  near  approach  of  the  enemy  rendered  it  a 
military  necessity;  when  this  would  constitute  the  justification 


RECOMMENDS   A   DESPERATE   RESISTANCE.  191 

of  the  act.  But  against  this  the  obvious  objection  lay,  that  the 
enemy's  advance  might  be  too  sudden  to  permit  those  prepa 
rations  which  were  necessary  to  make  the  post  tenable.  Colonel 
Jackson  therefore  decided  the  matter  for  himself,  and  seized 
the  Maryland  Heights;  constructing  upon  them  a  few  block 
houses,  and  quartering  there  a  few  companies  of  troops. 

He  was  his  own  engineer,  and  reconnoitred  all  the  ground 
for  himself.  He  constructed  very  few  entrenchments;  and,  to 
the  end  of  his  career,  it  was  characteristic  that  he  made  almost 
no  use  of  the  spade  and  pick.  On  the  8th  of  May  he  wrote 
as  follows  to  his  wife : — 

"  I  am  living  at  present  in  an  elegant  mansion,  with  Major 
Preston  in  my  room.  Mr.  Massie  is  on  my  staff,  but  left  this 
morning  for  Richmond,  as  bearer  of  despatches,  and  is  to  return 
in  a  few  days.  I  am  strengthening  my  position,  and,  if  attacked, 
shall,  with  the  blessing  of  the  kind  providence  of  that  God  who 
has  always  been  with  me,  and  who,  I  firmly  believe,  will  never 
forsake  me,  repel  the  enemy.  I  am  in  good  health,  considering 
the  great  labor  which  devolves  on  me,  and  the  loss  of  sleep 
to  which  I  am  subjected." 

In  the  despatches  which  he  sent  to  the  Government,  he  an 
nounced  his  conviction  that  his  post  should  be  so  defended,  as  to 
make  it  a  Thermopylae  His  command  was  the  advanced-guard 
of  all  the  Southern  forces;  a  collision  was  expected  first  at 
Harper's  Ferry,  which  was  threatened  by  a  large  force  under 
Major-Gencral  Patterson;  and,  through  that  pass,  it  was  sup 
posed  the  invaders  would  attempt  to  pour  into  the  State.  Such 
a  resistance,  Colonel  Jackson  declared,  should  be  made  to  this 
first  assault,  as  would  convince  our  enemies  of  the  desperate 
determination  of  the  people  of  the  South,  and  would  set,  to  our 
soldiers,  an  example  of  heroism  in  all  future  combats.  As 
Leonidas  and  his  three  hundred  judged  that  the  moral  effect  of 


192  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

their  sacrifice  would  be  worth  more  to  Greece,  in  teaching  her 
citizens  how  to  die  for  their  country,  than  any  subsequent  servi 
ces  which  they  could  hope  to  render,  so  Jackson  determined,  if 
necessary,  to  die  at  his  post  at  Harper's  Ferry,  in  order  to 
elevate  the  spirit  of  Southern  resistance. 

From  the  beginning,  he  manifested  that  reticence  and  secrecy 
as  to  all  military  affairs,  for  which  he  was  afterwards  so  remark 
able.  It  was  his  maxim,  that,  in  war,  mystery  was  the  key  to 
success.  He  argued,  that  no  human  shrewdness  could  foretell 
what  item  of  information  might  not  give  some  advantage  to  an 
astute  adversary,  and  that,  therefore,  it  was  the  part  of  wisdom 
to  conceal  everything,  even  those  things  of  which  it  did  not 
appear  how  the  enemy  could  make  use.  And  since  the  channels 
by  which  intelligence  may  pass,  are  so  numerous  and  unforeseen, 
those  things  which  he  did  not  wish  divulged  to  the  enemy  he 
divulged  to  no  one,  except  where  necessity  compelled  him.  Not 
long  after  he  took  command  at  Harper's  Ferry,  a  dignified  and 
friendly  Committee  of  the  Legislature  of  Maryland  visited  him 
to  learn  his  plans.  It  was  deemed  important  to  receive  them 
with  all  courtesy,  for  the  co-operation  of  their  State  was  earnestly 
desired,  and  every  one  was  watching  to  see  how  Colonel  Jack 
son  would  reconcile  his  secrecy,  and  his  extreme  dislike  to  be 
questioned  upon  military  affairs,  with  the  demands  of  politeness. 
Among  other  questions,  they  asked  him  the  number  of  his  troops. 
He  replied  promptly,  "  I  should  be  glad  if  Lincoln  thought  I  had 
fifteen  thousand." 

The  character  of  his  thinking  was  illustrated  by  the  declara 
tion  which  he  made  upon  assuming  this  command,  that  it  was  the 
true  policy  of  the  South  to  take  no  prisoners  in  this  war.  He 
affirmed  that  this  would  be  in  the  end  truest  humanity,  because 
it  would  shorten  the  contest,  and  prove  economical  of  the  blood 
of  both  parties;  and  that  it  was  a  measure  urgently  dictated 


REASONS   FOR  REFUSING  QUARTER.  193 

by  the  interests  of  our  cause,  and  clearly  sustained  by  justice. 
This  startling  opinion  he  calmly  sustained  in  conversation, 
many  months  after,  by  the  following  considerations,  which  he 
prefaced  with  'the  remark,  that,  inasmuch  as  the  authorities 
of  the  Confederate  States  had  seen  fit  to  pursue  the  other  policy, 
he  had  cheerfully  acquiesced,  and  was  as  careful  as  other  com 
manders  to  enjoin  on  his  soldiers  the  giving  of  quarter  and 
humane  treatment  to  disarmed  enemies.  But  he  affirmed  this 
war  was,  in  its  intent  and  inception,  different  from  all  civilized 
wars,  and  therefore  should  not  be  brought  under  their  rules.  It 
was  not,  like  them,  a  strife  for  a  point  of  honor,  a  diplomatic 
quarrel,  a  commercial  advantage,  a  boundary,  or  a  province ;  but 
an  attempt  on  the  part  of  the  North  against  the  very  existence 
of  the  Southern  States.  It  was  founded  in  a  denial  to  their 
people  of  the  right  of  self-government,  in  virtue  of  which,  solely, 
the  Northern  States  themselves  existed.  Its  intention  was  a 
wholesale  murder  and  piracy,  the  extermination  of  a  whole 
people's  national  life.  It  was,  in  fact,  but  the  "  John  Brown 
Raid  "  resumed  and  extended,  with  new  accessories  of  horror, 
and,  as  the  Commonwealth  of  Virginia  had  righteously  put  to 
death  every  one  of  those  cut-throats  upon  the  gallows,  why  were 
their  comrades  in  the  same  crime  to  claim  now  a  more  honorable 
treatment?  Such  a  war  was  an  offence  against  humanity  so 
monstrous,  that  it  outlawed  those  who  shared  its  guilt  beyond 
the  pale  of  forbearance.  But  as  justice  authorized  their 
destruction,  so  wisdom  and  prudence  demanded  it,  for  it  is 
always  wisest  to  act  upon  principle,  in  preference  to  expedi 
ency.  He  argued  further,  that  this  enormous  intent  of  the  war, 
together  with  the  infuriated  temper  of  the  Northern  people,  and 
the  circumstances  of  the  contest,  would  inevitably  lead  them, 
before  its  close,  even  if  they  observed  some  measure  at  first,  to 
barbarities  and  violations  of  belligerent  rights,  which  would 

25 


LIFE   OF   LIEUT.  -GENERAL   JACKSOX. 


compel  our  authorities,  by  every  consideration  of  righteous 
retribution  and  duty  to  their  own  injured  citizens,  to  a  bloody 
retaliation.  But  this  would  probably  be  then  retorted,  and  the 
internecine  policy  would  only  assume  a  wider  extent.  The 
arrogance  of  the  Federal  Government  would  be  sure  to  add 
political  persecution  of  our  citizens  to  the  other  rigors  of  war, 
under  the  pretext  of  punishing  rebellion.  The  Administration 
at  Washington  was  indebted  to  Abolitionism  for  its  real 
strength,  and  would  find  itself  impelled,  whether  it  willed  it 
or  not,  to  conduct  the  war  in  accordance  with  the  demands  of 
that  fell  fanaticism.  It  would  be  seen,  before  this  contest 
was  over,  inciting  slave  insurrections  in  the  South,  arming  the 
servile  class  against  their  masters,  and  setting  them  on  to  per 
petrate  all  the  horrors  of  savage  warfare.  The  Confederate 
States  ought  not  to  submit  to  these  enormities,  and  could  not; 
but  the  measures  of  retribution  wliich  the  protection  of  their 
outraged  citizens  would  require,  should  be  directed  rather 
against  the  instigators  than  the  ignorant  tools.  By  the  time, 
however,  this  stern  necessity  had  manifested  itself,  the  Federal 
Government  might  have  many  of  our  soldiers,  and  much  of  our 
territory,  in  their  clutches,  so  that  retaliation  would  be  encum 
bered  with  additional  difficulties.  It  would  be  better,  therefore, 
to  begin  upon  a  plan  of  warfare  which  would  place  none  of  our 
citizens  in  their  power  alive.  And  lastly,  if  quarter  was  neither 
given  nor  asked,  our  soldiers  would  be  only  the  more  determined, 
vigilant,  and  unconquerable,  for  they  were  fighting  under  an 
inevitable  necessity  for  liberties,  homes,  and  existence  ;  while  the 
soldiers  of  our  enemies  would  be  intimidated,  and  enlistments 
would  be  prevented,  because  they  contend  only  for  pique. 
revenge,  and  lust  of  gain.  Indeed,  it  was  in  every  way  for  the 
advantage  of  the  Confederate  States,  that  the  war  should  be 
made  to  unmask  its  murderous  nature,  most  practically,  to  the 


VIRGINIA   JOINS   THE   CONFEDERACY.  195 

apprehensions  of  our  citizens,  for  then  they  would  be  more 
likely  to  rise  to  the  exercise  of  those  radical  and  primary 
instincts  of  the  human  soul,  which  are  commensurate  in  intensity 
with  the  magnitude  of  the  stake  at  issue.  This  war  was,  in  its 
true  nature,  internecine ;  it  were  better  that  it  should  be  under 
stood  as  such.  Its  real  meaning  was  destruction  to  the  South ; 
better  have  each  citizen  and  soldier  understand  this  for  himself, 
in  the  most  personal  sense.  Then,  instead  of  seeing  a  people 
waging  so  dire  a  contest  for  the  primary  objects  of  existence, 
with  divided  zeal,  and  with  only  the  secondary  motives  of  their 
nature,  the  most  powerful  moral  forces  of  the  soul  would  be 
evoked  to  sustain  the  struggle. 

.Such,  in  substance,  were  the  reasons  which  he  rendered  for 
his  conclusion.  They  were  given  with  an  unpretending  simplic 
ity,  which  no  other  can  reproduce ;  for  it  was  a  characteristic  of 
his  mind,  that  the  most  profound  considerations  were  seen  by 
him  so  clearly  and  simply,  that  they  were  expressed  without 
logical  parade  or  pomp,  as  though  they  had  been  easy,  and 
obvious  to  every  understanding.  Those  who  have  watched  the 
subsequent  course  of  the  war  can  decide,  how  accurately  all  his 
predictions  have  been  verified.  And  every  thoughtful  man  now 
anticipates  nothing  else,  than  to  see  mutual  acts  of  retaliation 
precipitate  the  parties  into  an  unsparing  slaughter;  a  result 
which  has  only  been  postponed  thus  far,  by  the  unexampled 
forbearance  of  the  people  and  government  of  the  Confederate 
States. 

Meantime,  on  the  2d  of  May,  Virginia  had  adopted  the  Con 
stitution  of  the  Confederate  States,  appointed  Commissioners 
to  their  Congress,  and  thus  united  her  fortunes  with  theirs. 
The  secession  of  Virginia  gave  a  second  impulse  to  the  revolu 
tion,  by  which  the  States  of  North  Carolina,  Tennessee,  Arkan 
sas,  and  Missouri,  and  afterwards,  in  name,  Kentucky,  were 


196  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

added  to  the  Confederation.  On  the  20th  of  May,  the  Confed 
erate  Congress  adjourned  from  Columbia  to  Richmond,  which 
they  had  selected  as  their  future  capital,  and  on  the  29th  of  the 
same  month,  Mr.  Jefferson  Davis,  the  President  of  the  Confed 
eracy,  was  received  in  Richmond  with  unbounded  enthusiasm. 
By  a  treaty  between  Virginia  and  the  Confederate  Government, 
the  State  transferred  all  her  troops  and  armaments  to  that  power ; 
which  engaged,  in  return,  to  defend  her,  and  to  pay  and  govern 
the  forces.  One  of  the  earliest  acts  of  the  Confederate  Govern 
ment  was  to  appoint  a  Commander  of  higher  rank  and  greater 
experience  to  Harper's  Ferry,  which  they  justly  regarded  as  a  poot 
of  prime  importance.  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston  was  selected 
by  them  for  this  office,  May  23d,  and  proceeded  thither  immedi 
ately,  to  take  command.  The  Virginian  authorities  afterwards 
assured  Colonel  Jackson,  that  they  were  fully  satisfied  with  his 
administration  there,  and  would  have  been  well  pleased  to 
increase  his  rank  until  it  was  adequate  to  the  extent  and 
responsibility  of  the  command ;  but  they  properly  acquiesced  in 
the  appointment  made  by  the  Confederate  Government.  When 
General  Johnston,  however,  arrived  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and 
claimed  to  relieve  Colonel  Jackson  of  his  command,  the  latter 
had  received  no  directions  from  the  State  Government  to  sur 
render  his  trust.  And  here  arose  a  momentary  collision  be 
tween  the  two  authorities,  which  displayed  the  inflexibility  of 
Jackson's  character.  He  replied  that  he  had  been  intrusted  by 
Major-General  Lee,  at  the  command  of  the  State  of  Virginia, 
with  this  charge;  and  could  only  relinquish  it  by  his  orders. 
In  this  position,  he  was,  while  respectful,  immovable ;  and  as  the 
Confederate  commander  was  equally  firm,  a  mischievous  strife 
was  anxiously  feared.  But  very  soon,  the  mails  brought  an 
application  from  some  person  pertaining  to  Colonel  Jackson's 
command,  upon  which  was  endorsed,  in  the  hand-writing  of 


THE   STONEWALL   BRIGADE.  197 

Major- General  Lee,  a  reference  to  the  authority  of  General 
Joseph  E.  Johnston,  as  commanding  at  Harper's  Ferry.  This 
furnished  Colonel  Jackson  all  the  evidence  which  he  desired,  to 
justify  his  surrender  of  his  trust ;  and  he  hastened,  with  cordial 
pleasure,  to  transfer  his  whole  powers  to  General  Johnston. 
The  purity  of  his  motives,  and  the  absence  of  ambition,  were 
appreciated  by  the  latter,  in  a  way  equally  honorable  to  both ; 
Colonel  Jackson  became  at  once  a  trusted  subordinate,  and  i» 
zealous  supporter.  The  Virginia  regiments,  at  the  different 
posts,  were  now  separated  and  organized  into  a  brigade,  of 
which  he  was  made  commander.  Thus  began  his  connexion 
with  the  Stonewall  Brigade.  It  was  composed  of  the  2d  Vir 
ginia  regiment,  commanded  by  Colonel  Allen,  who  fell  at  Games' 
Mill;  the  4th,  commanded  by  Colonel  Preston;  the  5th,  com 
manded  by  Colonel  Harper;  the  27th,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Gordon;  and,  a  little  after,  the  33d,  commanded  by  Colonel 
Cummings.  The  battery  of  light  field-guns,  from  his  own  vil 
lage  of  Lexington,  manned  chiefly  by  the  gentlemen  of  the  col-  . 
lege  and  town,  and  commanded  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pendleton, 
Rector  of  the  Episcopal  congregation  of  that  place,  formerly  a 
graduate  of  the  West  Point  Academy,  was  attached  to  this 
brigade,  and  was  usually  under  Jackson's  orders.  His  brigade 
staff  was  composed  of  Major  Frank  Jones  (who  also  fell  as 
Major  in  the  2d  regiment,  at  Games'  Mill),  Adjutant;  Lieu 
tenant-Colonel  James  W.  Massie,  Aide-de-camp;  Dr.  Hunter 
M'Guire,  Medical  Director;  Major  William  Hawkes,  Chief 
Commissary;  Major  John  Harman,  Chief  Quartermaster;  and 
Lieutenant  Alexander  S.  Pendleton,  Ordnance  Officer.  It  is 
due  to  the  credit  of  Jackson's  wisdom  in  the  selection  of  his 
instruments,  and  to  the  gallant  and  devoted  men  who  composed 
this  staff,  to  add,  that  all  of  them  who  survived,  rose  with 
their  illustrious  leader  to  corresponding  posts  of  usefulness  and 


198  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

distinction.  It  may  be  added,  that  every  brigadier  who  has  com 
manded  this  famous  brigade,  except  its  present  gallant  leader, 
has  fallen  in  battle,  either  at  its  head  or  in  some  other  command. 
General  Jackson  was  succeeded  as  its  commander,  by  General 
Richard  Garnett,  who,  having  been  appointed  to  another  brigade, 
fell  at  the  head  of  his  command,  at  Gettysburg.  The  next  Gen 
eral  of  the  Stonewall  Brigade  was  the  chivalrous  C.  S.  Winder, 
who  was  killed  at  its  head,  at  Cedar  Run.  He  was  succeeded 
by  the  lamented  General  Baylor,  who  speedily,  in  the  second 
battle  of  Manassas,  paid,  with  his  life,  the  price  of  the  perilous 
eminence ;  and  he,  again,  by  the  neighbor  and  friend  of  Jackson, 
General  E.  F.  Paxton,  who  died  on  the  second  of  the  bloody 
days  of  Chancellorsville,  thus  preceding  his  commander  by  a 
week.  This  fatality  may  show  the  reader  what  kind  of  fighting 
that  brigade  was  taught,  by  its  first  leader,  to  do  for  its  country. 
General  Johnston,  having  speedily  learned  the  untenable 
nature  of  his  position  at  t  Harper's  Ferry,  and  having  accom 
plished  the  temporary  purposes  of  its  occupation,  by  the  removal 
of  the  valuable  machinery  and  materials  for  the  manufacture  of 
fire-arms,  determined  to  desert  the  place.  The  Federal  com 
mander,  General  Patterson,  had  now  approached  the  Potomac 
northwest  of  Harper's  Ferry,  by  the  way  of  the  great  valley  of 
Pennsylvania,  so  that  against  him  the  tenure  of  that  post  had 
become  no  defence.  His  purpose  to  effect  a  junction  at  Win 
chester  with  the  forces  of  General  M'Clellan,  advancing  from 
northwestern  Virginia,  was  suspected.  That  town,  situated  in 
the  midst  of  the  champaign  of  the  great  valley,  about  thirty  miles 
southwest  of  Harper's  Ferry,  is  the  focus  of  a  number  of  great 
highways,  from  every  quarter.  Of  these,  one  leads  north, 
through  Martinsburg  across  the  Potomac  at  the  little  village  of 
Williamsport,  the  position  then  occupied  by  General  Patterson. 
Another,  known  as  the  northwestern  turnpike,  passes  by 


HARPER'S  FERRY  EVACUATED.  199 

Romney,  across  the  Alleghany  Mountains,  throughout  north 
western  Virginia  to  the  Ohio  River.  And  others,  leading  east 
ward,  southward,  and  southwestward  into  the  interior  of  tho 
State,  Winchester,  was  therefore  the  true  strategic  point  for  the 
defence  of  the  upper  regions  of  Virginia,  and  thither  General 
Johnston  determined  to  remove  his  army.  Having  destroyed 
the  great  railroad  bridge  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  the  factories 
of  the  Government,  and  rem'oved  all  his  heavy  guns  and  stores, 
he  left  that  place  on  Sunday,  June  16.  About  this  time,  the 
advance  of  the  Federal  army  from  the  northwest  was  reported 
to  be  at  Romney,  forty  miles  west  of  Winchester ;  and  General 
Patterson  was  crossing  the  Potomac  at  Williamsport,  nearly  the 
same  distance  to  the  north,  with  18,000  men.  General  Johnston 
having  marched  to  Chaiiestown,  eight  miles  upon  the  road  to 
Winchester,  turned  westward  to  meet  Patterson,  and  chose  a 
strong  defensive  position  at  Bunker  Hill,  a  wooded  range  of 
uplands  between  Winchester  and  Martinsburg.  Upon  hearing 
of  this  movement,  Patterson  precipitately  withdrew  his  force's 
to  the  north  bank  of  the  Potomac.  Colonel  Jackson  thus 
described  these  movements  in  his  letter  to  his  wife : — 

"  Tuesday,  June  18.  —  On  Sunday,  by  order  of  General  John 
ston,  the  entire  force  left  Harper's  Ferry,  marched  towards  Win 
chester,  passed  through  Charlestown,  and  halted  for  the  night 
about  two  miles  this  side.  The  next  morning  we  moved  towards 
the  enemy,  who  were  between  Martinsburg  and  Williamsport, 
Ma.,  and  encamped  for  the  night  at  Bunker  Hill.  The  next 
morning  we  were  to  have  marched  at  sunrise,  and  I  hoped  that  in 
the  evening,  or  this  morning,  we  would  have  engaged  the  enemy; 
but,  instead  of  doing  so,  General  Johnston  made  some  disposi 
tion  for  receiving  the  enemy,  if  they  should  attack  us,  and  thus 
we  were  kept  until  about  twelve  A.  M.,  when  he  gave  the  order 
to  return  towards  Winchester.  At  about  sunset,  we  reached 


200  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON". 

this  place,  which  is  about  three  miles  north  of  Winchester,  on 
the  turnpike  leading  thence  to  Martinsburg.  When  our  troops 
on  Sunday  were  marching  on  the  enemy,  they  were  so  inspirited 
as  apparently  to  forget  the  fatigue  of  the  march,  and  though 
some  of  them  were  suffering  from  hunger,  this  and  all  other 
privations  appeared  to  be  forgotten,  and  the  march  continued  at 
the  rate  of  about  three  miles  per  hour.  But  when  they  were 
ordered  to  retire,  their  reluctance  was  manifested  by  their  snail- 
like  pace.  I  hope  the  General  will  do  something  soon.  Since 
we  have  left  Harper's  Ferry,  something  of  an  active  movement 
towards  repelling  the  enemy  is,  of  course,  expected.  I  trust 
that,  through  the  blessing  of  God,  we  will  soon  be  given  an 
opportunity  of  driving  the  invaders  from  this  region." 

From  this  time  Colonel  Jackson's  brigade  formed  the  advanced 
body  of  the  infantry  of  the  army  of  the  Valley,  and  was  continu 
ally  near  the  enemy.  He  thus  speaks  of  the  command:  — 

"  The  troops  have  been  divided  into  brigades,  and  the  Vir 
ginia  forces  under  General  Johnston  constitute  the  first  brigade, 
of  which  I  am  in  command.  I  am  very  thankful  to  our  kind 
heavenly  Father,  for  having  given  me  such  a  fine  brigade.  He 
does  bless  me  beyond  my  expectations,  and  infinitely  beyond  my 
deserts.  I  ought  to  be  a  devoted  follower  of  the  Redeemer." 

About  this  time,  Colonel  A.  P.  Hill,  afterwards  Lieut-General, 
was  sent  towards  Romney  with  a  detachment  of  Confederate 
troops.  The  Federalists  there  retired  before  him,  and  having 
occupied  that  village,  he  proceeded  along  the  Baltimore  and 
Ohio  Railroad,  eighteen  miles  west  of  the  town  of  Cumberland, 
assailed  a  detachment  which  guarded  an  important  bridge,  dis 
persed  them,  capturing  two  cannon  and  their  colors,  and 
destroyed  the  bridge.  On  the  19th  of  June,  Colonel  Jackson 
was  sent  with  his  brigade  north  of  Martinsburg,  to  observe  the 
enemy,  who  were  again  crossing  the  Potomac.  They  retired 


FARM.  201 

before  him,  evidently  afraid  to  hazard  a  collision.  On  this 
expedition  Colonel  Jackson  was  ordered  by  General  Johnston 
to  destroy  the  locomotives  and  cars  of  the  Baltimore  Railroad- 
at  Martinsburg.  At  this  village  there  were  vast  workshops  and 
depots  for  the  construction  and  repair  of  these  cars ;  and  more 
than  forty  of  the  finest  locomotives,  with  three  hundred  burden- 
cars,  were  now  destroyed.  Concerning  this  he  writes:  —  "It 
was  a  sad  work ;  but  I  had  my  orders,  and  my  duty  was  to  obey. 
If  the  cost  of  the  property  could  only  have  been  expended  in 
disseminating  the  gospel  of  the  Prince  of  peace,  how  much 
good  might  have  been  expected  !  " 

That  this  invaluable  property  should  have  been  withdrawn  to 
Winchester  by  the  way  of  Harper's  Ferry,  before  this  point  was 
evacuated,  is  too  plain  to  be  argued.  Whose  was  the  blunder 
cannot  now  be  ascertained;  that  it  was  not  Colonel  Jackson's 
appears  from  the  extract  of  his  letter  just  inserted.  The  bridges 
across  the  streams,  between  Martinsburg  and  Harper's  Ferry, 
were  by  this  time  burned.  So  desirable  did  it  afterwards  appear 
that  the  railroads  of  the  Confederate  States  should  be  recruited 
with  the  remaining  stock  at  Martinsburg,  that  a  number  of 
locomotives  and  burden-cars  were  drawn  along  the  turnpike 
roads  by  long  teams  of  horses  to  Winchester,  and  thence  to  the 
Central  Virginia  Railroad. 

Colonel  Jackson  remained  with  his  brigade  a  little  north  of 
Martinsburg,  with  Colonel  J.  E.  B.  Stuart  in  his  front,  then 
commanding  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  until  July  2d.  On  that  day, 
he  first  fleshed  his  sword  in  actual  combat  with  the  Federal 
army.  Patterson  had,  at  last,  ventured  to  cross  the  Potomac 
again  in  force,  and  to  advance  towards  Jackson's  camp.  The 
latter  immediately  struck  his  tents,  and  ordered  his  command 
under  arms.  The  instructions  given  him  by  his  commander 
were  to  observe  the  enemy,  and,  if  he  advanced  in  full  force,  to 

26 


202  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

retire  until  he  found  a  supporting  body  of  his  friends.  He 
therefore  advanced  to  meet  the  Federalists  with  the  5th  Virginia 
Hegiment;  a  few  companies  of  cavalry,  and  one  light  field-piece 
of  Captain  Pendleton's  battery,  leaving  orders  to  the  remainder 
of  his  command  to  be  ready  to  march  either  way,  and  to 
commence  sending  their  baggage  to  the  rear.  Near  Falling 
Water  Church,  a  rural  house  of  worship  half-way  between 
Martinsburg  and  the  Potomac,  he  met  the  advance  of  the  enemy, 
assailed  and  repelled  them.  Receiving  reinforcements,  they 
again  advanced,  and  were  again  repulsed.  Perceiving  by  this 
time  the  smallness  of  the  force  which  was  holding  them  in  check, 
the  enemy  displayed  a  large  body  of  infantry,  which  extended 
its  wings,  and  then  advanced  them,  with  the  design  of  enveloping 
Jackson  in  their  folds.  But  he  had  posted  his  infantry  behind 
the  buildings  and  enclosures  of  a  farm-house  and  barn,  which 
occupied  both  sides  of  the  highway,  and  thence  poured  a  galling 
fire  upon  the  enemy,  until  they  were  about  to  surround  Mm. 
Bringing  up  his  field-piece  to  cover  the  retreat  of  his  men,  he 
then  withdrew  them.  The  first  fire  of  his  gun  cleared  the 
highway  of  the  advancing  column  of  Federals,  and  he  retired, 
skirmishing  with  them  until,  four  miles  south  of  Martinsburg, 
he  met  the  army  advancing  to  his  support.  In  this  combat, 
known  as  that  of  Haines'  Farm,  Colonel  Jackson  employed 
only  380  men  (for  the  whole  of  the  5th  Regiment  was  not 
engaged),  with  one  piece  of  artillery.  The  enemy  brought  into 
action  the  whole  of  Cadwallader's  Brigade,  containing  3000 
men  and  a  battery  of  artillery.  Yet  it  occupied  them  from 
nine  o'clock  A.  M.  until  mid-day  to  dislodge  this  little  force,  and 
it  cost  them  a  loss  of  forty-five  prisoners,  captured  by  Colonel 
Stuart  in  a  dash  of  his  cavalry,  and  a  large  number  of  killed 
and  wounded.  Jackson's  loss  was  two  men  killed  and  ten 
wounded.  He  was  probably  the  only  man  in  the  detachment 


FEDERAL   MOVEMENTS.  203 

of  infantry  who  had  ever  been  under  fire ;  but  he  declared  that 
"both  officers  and  men  behaved  beautifully."  On  the  other 
hand,  his  coolness,  skill,  care  for  the  lives  of  his  men,  and  happy 
audacity,  filled  them  with  enthusiasm.  Henceforward,  his  influ 
ence  over  them  was  established.  General  Patterson  reported 
to  his  Government  that  he  had  repulsed  10,000  rebels,  with  the 
loss  of  one  man  lulled.  The  numerous  covered  wagons  of  the 
Dutch  farmers,  which  went  to  the  rear,  with  the  blood  dripping 
through  the  seams  of  the  boards,  told  a  different  story  of  his 
loss.  The  dead  of  the  Federal  army  were  carefully  concealed 
from  their  comrades,  lest  the  sight  should  intimidate  the 
unwarlike  rabble. 

General  Patterson  occupied  Martinsburg  while  General  John 
ston  remained  at  the  little  hamlet  of  Darkesville,  four  miles 
distant,  and  offered  him  battle  daily.  This  challenge  the  Federal 
general  prudently  declined.  The  Confederate  commander,  on 
the  other  hand,  refused  to  gratify  the  eagerness  of  his  men  by 
attacking  him  in  Martinsburg;  for  the  massive  dwellings  and 
warehouses  of  that  town,  with  the  numerous  stone-walled  enclo 
sures,  rendered  it  a  fortified  place,  of  no  little  strength  against 
an  irregular  approach.  At  the  end  of  four  days,  General  John 
ston  retired  to  Winchester.  On  the  15th  of  July  General 
Patterson  advanced  to  Bunker  Hill,  but,  when  his  adversary 
again  offered  battle,  he  paused  there,  and  began  to  extend  his 
left  eastward  towards  the  little  village  of  Smithfield.  To  the 
uninformed,  the  meaning  of  this  movement  seemed  to  be,  to 
surround  General  Johnston  by  his  larger  forces.  But  the  supe 
rior  sagacity  of  the  latter  discerned  the  true  intention,  viz.,  to 
prepare  for  co-operation  with  the  army  of  General  McDowell,  the 
Federal  commander,  who  was  about  to  assail  the  Confederate 
forces  under  General  Beauregard  at  Manassa's  Junction,  and  at 


204  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

the  same  time,  to  prevent  the  army  of  the  Valley  from  extending 
that  aid  which  would  be  so  much  needed  by  him. 

Upon  his  return  to  Winchester,  Colonel  Jackson  received  the 
following  note :  — 

"RICHMOND,  3d  July,  1861. 

"  MY  DEAR  GENERAL,  —  I  have  the  pleasure  of  sending  you  a 
commission  of  Brigadier-General  in  the  Provisional  army ;  and 
to  feel  that  you  merit  it.  May  your  advancement  increase  your 
usefulness  to  the  State.  —  Yery  truly, 

"R  E.  LEE." 

General  Johnston  had  recommended  him  for  this  promotion, 
immediately  after  the  affair  of  Haines'  Farm ;  but  it  had  been 
already  determined  upon  by  the  Confederate  Government,  and 
the  letter  of  appointment  was  dated  as  early  as  June  17th. 
General  Jackson  was  exceedingly  gratified  by  this  tribute  to  his 
merit,  and  by  his  permanent  assignment  to  his  Brigade.  Ignorant 
of  the  generous  intentions  of  the  Government,  he  had  been  led 
by  his  modesty  to  fear,  that  his  possession  of  that  command 
would  only  be  temporary.  Other  colonels  in  command  of 
Brigades  had  just  been  relieved  by  officers  of  higher  rank ;  and 
he  anticipated  the  same  event  for  himself.  He  had,  indeed, 
written,  just  before,  to  an  influential  member  of  the  State  Gov 
ernment,  earnestly  requesting  him  to  procure  for  him  such  pro 
motion  as  would  prevent  this  fate.  His  advancement,  therefore, 
brought  him  all  the  pleasure  of  an  agreeable  surprise.  To  the 
constant  sharer  of  his  joys,  he  wrote :  — 

"I  have  been  officially  informed  of  my  promotion  to  be  a 
Brigadier- General  of  the  Provisional  Army  of  the  Southern  Con 
federacy.  My  promotion  is  beyond  what  I  anticipated,  as  I  only 
expected  it  to  be  in  the  volunteer  forces  of  the  State.  One 
of  the  greatest  [grounds  of]  desires  for  advancement  is  the 


JACKSON   A  BRIGADIER-GENERAL.  205 

gratification  it  will  give  you,  and  serving  my  country  more  effi 
ciently. 

"  Through  the  blessing  of  God  I  now  have  all  that  I  ought  to 
desire  in  the  line  of  promotion.  I  would  be  very  ungrateful  if 
I  were  not  contented,  and  exceedingly  thankful  to  our  kind 
heavenly  Father.  May  his  blessing  ever  rest  on  you,  is  my 
fervent  prayer ! " 

The  reader  will  see  here,  the  same  remarkable  union  of 
honorable  professional  aspirations,  with  faith  and  dependence  on 
God,  which  distinguished  his  whole  course* 


206  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 


CHAPTER    VII. 

MANASSAS. 

THE  movement  of  General  Johnston  from  Harper's  Ferry  to 
Winchester  was  dictated,  not  only  by  the  circumstances  within 
his  own  field  of  operations,  but  by  his  relations  to  the  Confed 
erate  commanders  on  his  right  and  left.  In  the  northwest  was 
General  Garnett,  who,  with  five  thousand  men,  confronted  a  Fed 
eral  army  of  four  times  that  number,  commanded  by  Generals 
M'Clellan  and  Rosccranz.  Had  this  army  been  overpowered, 
as  it  was  during  the  month  of  July,  while  General  Johnston  was 
at  Harper's  Ferry,  the  victorious  forces  of  M'Clellan  would  have 
been  in  a  condition  to  threaten  his  rear  at  Winchester.  East  of 
the  Blue  Ridge,  General  Beauregard  was  organizing  an  army  at 
Manassa's  Junction,  to  cover  that  approach  to  the  capital  of  the 
confederacy,  and  was  confronted  by  the  strongest  of  all  the  Fed 
eral  arm-'es,  under  General  McDowell.  The  fearful  preponder 
ance  against  Beauregard  could  at  any  time  have  been  increased, 
by  suddenly  withdrawing  General  Patterson's  army  from  the 
Upper  Potomac  to  Washington,  for  which  the  vast  resources 
of  the  Baltimore  Railroad  offered  ready  means ;  while,  from 
Harper's  Ferry  to  Manassa's  Junction,  General  Johnston  must 
have  travelled  a  more  circuitous  line;  but,  by  placing  his 
head-quarters  at  Winchester,  he  tempted  General  Patterson  to 
Martinsburg.  The  advantages  for  concentration  were  now  all 
reversed.  General  Johnston  possessed  the  interior  line,  and 


207 

was  able  to  move  by  the  shorter  route  to  the  support  of  General 
Beauregard. 

The  traveller  who  left  the  town  of  Alexandria;  upon  the 
Potomac,  to  go  southwestward  into  the  interior  of  Virginia,  at 
the*distance  of  twenty-five  miles,  found  the  Manassa's  Gap  Rail 
road  dividing  itself  on  the  right  hand  from  the  main  stem,  and 
turning  westward  towards  the  peaks  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  which 
arc  visible  in  the  horizon.  This  road  sought  a  passage  through 
those  mountains  at  Manassa's  Gap,  a  depression  which  received 
its  name  from  an  obscure  Jew  merchant  named  Manassa,  who, 
years  ago,  had  fixed  his  home  in  the  gorge  of  the  ravine.  From 
this  the  railroad  was  called  the  Manassa's  Gap  Road,  and  the 
junction  with  the  Alexandria  Railroad  the  Manassa's  Junction. 
Thus  the  name  of  an  insignificant  Israelite  ka's  associated  itself 
with  a  spot,  which  will  never  cease  to  be  remembered,  while 
liberty  and  heroism  have  votaries  in  the  world.  This  Junction 
was  manifestly  the  strategic  point  for  the  defence  of  North 
eastern  Virginia.  It  was  at  a  convenient  distance  from  the 
Potomac,  to  observe  the  course  of  that  river ;  for  the  Confederate 
generals  were  too  much  masters  of  the  art  of  war,  to  adopt  the 
stupid  policy  of  attempting  to  hold  all  the  banks  of  a  long 
stream,  on  the  stationary  defensive,  against  a  superior  assailant. 
It  was  manifest  that  the  command  of  railroads,  by  reason  of  their 
capacity  for  the  rapid  transportation  of  troops  and  supplies,  must 
ever  be  a  decisive  advantage  in  campaigns.  The  general  who  is 
compelled  to  move  all  his  forces  and  material  of  war  over 
country  roads,  by  the  tedious  and  expensive  agency  of  teams,  in 
the  presence  of  an  adversary  who  effects  his  advance  on  a  rail 
road,  must  be  at  his  mercy.  To  hold  Manassa's  Junction, 
covered  two  railroads,  of  which  one  led  southwestward  to 
Gordonsville,  and  thence,  by  two  branches,  to  ChaiiottCoViile, 
and  Richmond ;  and  the  other  led  westward,  through  the  Blue 


208  LIFE  OP  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

Ridge,  into  the  heart  of  the  Great  Valley,  the  granary  of  the 
State ;  but  worse,  the  possession  of  the  Maiiassa's  Gap  Railroad 
by  the  Federalists  uncovered  General  Johnston's  rear  to  them 
equally  whether  he  were  at  Harper's  Ferry  or  at  Winchester, 
and  at  once  required  the  evacuation  of  the  whole  country  north 
of  that  thoroughfare. 

For  these  reasons,  the  Confederate  Government  made  every 
effort  to  hold,  and  the  Federal,  directed  by  the  veteran  skill  of 
General  Winfield  Scott,  to  seize  this  point.  It  is  situated  three 
miles  south  of  Bull  Run  (a  little  stream  of  ten  yards'  width, 
almost  everywhere  fordable),  in  a  smiling  champaign,  diversified 
with  gentle  hills,  woodlands,  and  farmhouses. 

The  water-course  takes  its  rise  in  a  range  of  highlands,  called 
the  Bull  Run  Mountains,  fourteen  miles  west  of  the  Junction,  and, 
pursuing  a  southeast  course,  meets  Broad  and  Cedar  Runs  five 
miles  east  of  it,  and  forms,  with  them,  the  Occoquan.  The  hills 
near  the  stream  are  more  lofty  and  precipitous  than  the  gentle 
swells  which  heave  up  the  plain  around  the  Junction;  and,  on 
one  side  or  the  other,  they  usually  descend  steeply  to  the  water; 
commanding  the  level  meadows  which  stretch  from  the  opposite 
bank.  Where  the  meadows  happened  to  be  on  the  north  bank, 
the  stream  offered  some  advantages  of  defence  for  the  Confeder 
ates  ;  but  where  the  lowlands  were  on  the  south  side,  the  advan 
tage  for  attack  was  with  the  Federalists. 

No  works  of  any  description  defended  this  line.  The  Junc 
tion,  three  miles  in  its  rear,  was  surrounded  with  a  single  circuit 
of  common  earthworks,  consisting  of  a  ditch  and  an  embank 
ment  of  a  few  feet  in  height,  with  platforms  for  a  score  of  cannon. 
A  journey  of  six  miles  from  the  Junction,  northeastward  by  the 
country  road,  brings  the  traveller  to  the  hamlet  of  Centreville, 
seated  on  a  high  ridge.  Through  this  little  village  passes  the 
paved  highway  from  Alexandria  to  Warrenton,  in  a  direction 


BULL  RUX.  209 

almost  due  west;  and,  at  a  point  five  miles  northwest  of  the 
Junction,  this  thoroughfare  crosses  the  channel  of  Bull  Rim 
obliquely  upon  an  arch  of  stone.  Here  a  little  tributary,  called 
Young's  Branch,  enters  the  stream  from  the  southwest,  and  the 
hills  from  which  it  flows  rise  to  even  a  bolder  elevation  than  the 
other  heights  of  Bull  Run.  Upon  those  hills  was  fought  the  first 
Battle  of  Manassas. 

On  the  16th  of  July,  the  hosts  of  General  M'Dowell  left  their 
entrenched  camps  along  the  Potomac,  and  drove  in  the  advance 
of  General  Beauregard  from  Fairfax  Court  House  on  the  17th. 
The  Federal  army  consisted  of  about  sixty,  thousand  men, 
including  nearly  all  the  United  States  regulars  cast  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  sixty  pieces  of  artillery.  It  was  equipped 
with  all  that  wealth  and  art  could  lavish,  and  armed  throughout 
with  the  most  improved  implements  of  destruction. 

The  whole  army  and  people  of  the  North  were  inflated  with 
the  assurance  of  victory.  The  Generals  had  labelled  the  pack 
ages  of  supplies  "  for  Richmond."  The  fanatical  volunteers  had 
supplied  their  pockets  with  halters  with  which  to  hang  the 
"Southern  Rebels,"  as  soon  as  they  were  captured  in  battle. 
The  Federal  Congress,  then  in  session  in  Washington,  was 
adjourned,  in  order  to  enable  the  members  to  go  with  the  army, 
and  feast  their  eyes  with  the  spectacle  of  the  rout  of  the  Con 
federates;  and  long  lines  of  carriages,  filled  with  females 
bedecked  with  their  holiday  attire,  followed  the  rear  of  the 
Federal  army,  with  baskets  of  champagne,  and  all  the  appli 
ances  for  the  feast  and  the  dance,  with  which  they  proposed  to 
mock  the  groans  of  the  dying  thousands  on  the  evening  of  their 
victory.  The  newspapers  of  the  North  scouted  with  disdain 
the  ideas  of  defeat ;  and  declared  that,  in  ten  days  at  the  utmost, 
their  triumphant  army  must  be  established  in  Richmond,  and 
27 


210  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

the    Confederate   Government   drowned   in    the   blood   of  its 
leaders.* 

On  the  evening  of  July  17th,  General  Beauregard  assembled 
all  his  forces  along  the  line  of  Bull  Run,  from  the  Stone 
Bridge  to  the  Union  Mills,  a  distance  of  eight  miles.  He 
thus  presented  to  the  enemy  a  body  of  about  twenty  thousand 
combatants,  with  thirty  field-pieces,  of  which  the  heaviest  were 
twelve-pounder  howitzers.  These  forces  were  divided  into 
eight  brigades.  The  infantry  was  armed,  with  a  few  excep 
tions,  with  the  smooth-bore  musket ;  and  the  cavalry,  with  fowl 
ing-pieces  and  sabres.  On  the  18th  of  July,  the  enemy,  having 
assembled  in  force  at  Centreville,  made  a  tentative  effort  with 
a  heavy  detachment  of  all  arms,  to  force  the  line  of  Bull  Run, 
at  Mitchell's  and  McLean's  fords,  upon  the  direct  road  to  the 

*  It  may  be  well  to  recall  to  memory  the  boastful  spirit  and  arrogant  self-con 
fidence,  with  which  the  North  entered  upon  the  struggle  with  the  South.  The 
Tribune  said  :  "  The  hanging  of  traitors  is  sure  to  begin  before  the  month  is 
over.  The  nations  of  Europe  may  rest  assured  that  Jeff.  Davis  &  Co.  will  be 
swinging  from  the  battlements  of  Washington,  at  least  by  the  4th  of  July.  We 
spit  upon  a  later  and  longer  deferred  justice."  The  New  York  Times  said:  "  Let 
us  make  quick  work.  The  « rebellion,'  as  some  people  designate  it,  is  an  unborn 
tadpole.  Let  us  not  fall  into  the  delusion  of  mistaking  a  « local  commotion,'  for 
a  revolution.  A  strong  active  'pull  together  '  will  do  our  work  effectually  in 
thirty  days."  The  Philadelphia  Press  declared  that  "  no  man  of  sense  could, 
for  a  moment,  doubt  that  this  much-ado-about-nothing  would  end  in  a  month." 
The  Northern  people  were  "simply  invincible."  "The  rebels,  a  mere  band  of 
ragamuffins,  will  fly,  like  chaff  before  the  wind,  on  our  approach."  But  who 
can  wonder  that  the  press  of  America  should  pander  thus  to  the  ignorance  and 
the  arrogance  of  the  North,  when  Seward  himself,  just  a  month  before  the  Battle 
of  Manassas,  wrote  thus  in  a  public  document,  addressed  to  Mr.  Dayton,  the 
Minister  at  the  French  Court :  "France  seems  to  have  mistaken  a  mere  casual 
and  ephemeral  insurrection  here,  such  as  is  incidental  in  the  experience  of  all 
nations,  for  a  war,  which  has  flagrantly  separated  this  nation  into  two  co-existing 
political  powers,  who  are  contending  in  arms  against  each  other,  after  the  sepa 
ration."  And  again  :  "  It  is  erroneous  to  suppose  that  any  war  exists  in  the 
United  States.  Certainly  there  cannot  be  two  belligerent  powers,  where  there 
is  no  war."  Head  in  the  light  of  subsequent  events,  can  anything  appear  more 
grotesque,  more  contemptible  ? 


COMBAT   OF   BULL  RUN.  211 

Junction.  Meeting  with  a  bloody  repulse  in  this  essay,  he 
occupied  Friday  and  Saturday,  the  19th  and  20th,  with  explo 
rations  of  the  country,  for  the  purpose  of  devising  a  flank  move 
ment.  The  desired  route  was  discovered,  leading  to  Sudley 
Church,  on  Bull  Run,  two  miles  above  the  extreme  left  of  the 
Confederates  at  the  Stone  Bridge ;  and  the  morning  of  Sunday, 
July  21st,  was  chosen  for  the  second  attempt. 

Meantime,  indeed  at  the  first  appearance  of  the  Federal  ad 
vance,  General  Beauregard  had  given  notice  to  General  John 
ston,  that  the  time  had  arrived  for  him  to  render  his  aid.  Ac 
cordingly,  on  the  forenoon  of  Thursday  the  18th,  the  army  of 
the  Valley,  numbering  about  eleven  thousand  men,  was  ordered 
under  arms  at  its  camp,,  north  of  Winchester,  and  the  tents  were 
struck.  No  man  knew  the  intent,  save  that  it  was  supposed 
they  were  about  to  attack  Patterson,  who  lay  to  the  north  of 
them,  from  Bunker  Hill  to  Smithfield,  with  twenty  thousand 
men ;  and  joy  and  alacrity  glowed  on  every  face.  But  at  mid 
day,  they  were  ordered  to  march  in  the  opposite  direction, 
through  the  town,  and  then  to  turn  southeastward  towards  Mill 
wood  and  the  fords  of  the  Shenandoah. 

As  they  passed  through  the  streets  of  Winchester,  the  citi 
zens,  whose  hospitality  the  soldiers  had  so  often  enjoyed,  asked, 
with  sad  and  astonished  faces,  if  they  were  deserting  them, 
and  handing  them  over  to  the  Vandal  enemy.  They  answered, 
with  equal  sadness,  that  they  knew  no  more  than  others  whither 
they  were  going.  The  1st  Virginia  brigade,  led  by  General 
Jackson,  headed  the  march.  The  cavalry  of  Stuart  guarded 
every  pathway  between  the  line  of  defence  which  Johnston  had 
just  held  and  the  Federalists,  and  kept  up  an  audacious  front,  as 
though  they  were  about  to  advance  upon  them,  supported  by 
the  whole  army.  The  mystified  commander  of  the  Federalists 
stood  anxiously  on  the  defensive,  and  never  discovered  that  his 


212  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

adversary  was  gone  until  his  junction  with  General  Beauregard 
was  effected,  when  he  sluggishly  drew  off  his  hosts  towards  Harp 
er's  Ferry.  As  soon  as  the  troops  had  gone  three  miles  from 
Winchester,  General  Johnston  commanded  the  whole  column  to 
halt,  and  an  order  was  read  explaining  their  destination.  "  Our 
gallant  army  under  General  Beauregard,"  said  this  order,  "is  now 
attacked  by  overwhelming  numbers;  the  commanding  general 
hopes  that  his  troops  will  step  out  like  men,  and  make  a  forced 
inarch  to  save  the  country. ';  At  these  nervous  words,  every 
countenance  brightened  with  joy,  and  the  army  rent  the  air  with 
their  shouts.  They  hurried  forward,  often  at  a  double-quick, 
waded  the  Shenandoah  River,  which  was  waist-deep  to  the  men, 
ascended  the  Blue  Ridge  at  Ashby's  Gap,  and,  two  hours  after 
midnight,  paused  for  a  few  hours'  rest  at  the  little  village  of 
Paris,  upon  the  eastern  slope  of  the  mountain.  Here  General 
Jackson  turned  his  brigade  into  an  enclosure  occupied  by  a 
beautiful  grove,  and  the  wearied  men  fell  prostrate  upon  the 
earth  without  food.  In  a  little  time  an  officer  came  to  Jackson, 
reminded  him  that  there  were  no  sentries  posted  around  his 
bivouac,  while  the  men  were  all  wrapped  in  sleep,  and  asked  if 
some  should  be  aroused,  and  a  guard  set.  "  No,"  replied  Jack 
son,  "let  the  poor  fellows  sleep;  I  will  guard  the  camp  myself." 
All  the  remainder  of  the  night  he  paced  around  it,  or  sat  upon 
the  fence  watching  the  slumbers  of  his  men.  An  hour  before 
daybreak,  he  yielded  to  the  repeated  requests  of  a  member  of 
his  staff,  and  relinquished  the  task  to  him.  Descending  from 
his  seat  upon  the  fence,  he  rolled  himself  upon  the  leaves  in  a 
corner,  and  in  a  moment  was  sleeping  like  an  infant.  But,  at 
the  first  streak  of  the  dawn,  he  aroused  his  men  and  resumed 
the  march. 

From  Winchester  to  Manassa's  Junction  the  distance  is  about 
sixty  miles.     The  forced  march  of  thirty  miles  brought  the  army 


PLAN   OP   THE   CONFEDERATES.  213 

to  the  Piedmont  Station,  at  the  eastern  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge, 
whence  they  hoped  to  reach  their  destination  more  easily  by 
railroad.  General  Jackson's  infantry  was  placed  upon  trams 
there,  on  the  forenoon  of  Friday  (the  19th  July),  while  the 
artillery  and  cavalry  continued  their  march  by  the  country 
roads. 

The  president  of  the  railroad  company  promised  that  the 
whole  army  should  be  transported  on  successive  trains  to 
Manassa's  Junction  by  the  morning  of  Saturday;  but  by  a 
collision  which  was,  with  great  appearance  of  reason,  attributed 
to  treachery,  the  track  was  obstructed,  and  all  the  remaining 
troops  detained,  without  any  provision  for  their  subsistence,  for 
two  precious  days.  Had  they  been  provided  with  food,  and 
ordered  to  continue  their  forced  march,  their  zeal  would  have 
brought  the  whole  of  them  to  the  field  long  before  the  com 
mencement  of  the  battle.  General  Jackson's  whole  command 
reached  the  Junction  at  dusk  on  Friday  evening,  and  were 
marched,  hungry,  weary,  and  dusty,  to  the  pine-coppices  near 
Mitchell's  Ford,  where  they  spent  Saturday  in  refreshing  them 
selves  for  tho  coming  conflict.  All  of  Saturday  night  again, 
their  indefatigable  general  was  afoot,  busy  in  the  distribution 
of  food  and  ammunition,  and  in  the  review  of  his  preparations. 

It  was  no  part  of  General  Beauregard's  plan  to  occupy  the 
defensive  attitude  absolutely,  along  so  weak  and  extended  a 
line  as  that  which  he  held  on  Bull  Run.  To  do  this,  was  to  give 
the  enemy  leisure  and  opportunity  to  concentrate  his  forces,  at 
any  point  which  he  might  select,  in  such  preponderance  as  inevi 
tably  to  crush  the  portion  of  the  Confederate  army  guarding 
that  place ;  and  then  the  line  of  the  water-course,  being  lost  at. 
one  part,  must  be  relinquished  everywhere,  or  the  army  defending 
it  would  be  cut  in  two.  The  Confederate  general  proposed,  if 
General  Johnston's  reinforcements  had  arrived  in  time,  to  mass 


214  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON.  ' 

his  troops,  take  the  aggressive,  and  strike  the  unwieldy  body 
of  the  Federal  army  near  Centreville.  But  Saturday  passed, 
and  they .  had  not  arrived.  Nothing  remained  for  him  but  to 
retain  his  defensive  attitude,  and  await  the  development  of  the 
enemy's  purposes.  The  morning  of  July  21st  dawned  with  all 
the  beauty  and  softness  befitting  a  summer  Sabbath-day,  and 
the  birds  greeted  the  rising  sun  with  as  joyous  a  matin  hymn 
as  though  the  lovely  quiet  had  been  destined  for  nought  but  the 
worship  of  the  Prince  of  peace.  But  the  invaders  had  conse 
crated  it,  with  an  impiety  equal  to  their  malice,  to  the  bloody 
orgies  of  the  Moloch  of  their  ambition.  The  sun  had  not  begun 
to  exhale  the  dew,  when,  along  the  Warrenton  turnpike,  every 
more  pleasing  sound  was  hushed  into  terror  by  the  rumbling  of 
the  wheels  of  a  great  park  of  artillery,  and  the  hoarse  oaths 
of  the  officers  hurrying  it  towards  the  extreme  left  of  the 
Confederates.  Columns  of  dust,  rising  into  the  quiet  air  in 
several  directions,  disclosed  the  movements  of  heavy  masses 
of  infantry.  The  Federal  general,  leaving  one  strong  division 
to  guard  his  rear  at  Centreville,  paraded  another  opposite 
Mitchell's  Ford,  and  still  another  in  front  of  the  Stone  Bridge, 
each  accompanied  with  batteries  of  rifled  cannon;  while  the 
mass  of  his  army  made  a  detour  through  an  extensive  forest 
to  the  west,  to  cross  Bull  Run  at  Sudley  Church,  and  thus  to 
commence  the  assault  in  the  rear  of  the  Confederate  left.  They 
proposed  to  amuse  the  right  and  centre  by  a  cannonade  and  a 
pretended  assault,  so  as  to  detain  those  troops  while  the  flanking 
force  marched  down  the  south  side  of  Bull  Run,  crushed  the 
brigade  which  guarded  the  Stone  Bridge,  and  opened  a  way  for 
the  division  attacking  it  to  cross,  and  thus  beat  the  patriot  army 
in  detail.  Had  the  prowess  of  the  Yankee  troops  been  equal  to 
the  strategy  of  the  chieftain,  this  masterly  plan  would  have  given 
them  a  great  victory.  The  Confederate  generals  anticipated 


„    BEAUREGARD'S  PLAN  OF  BATTLE.  215 

a  flank  attack,  but  were  unable  to  decide  at  first,  whether  it 
would  be  delivered  against  their  extreme  right  or  left.  'Their 
hesitation,  and  the  friendly  concealment  of  the  forest,  enabled 
the  enemy  to  effect  his  initial  plan,  and  throw  20,000  men 
across  Bull  Run,  at  and  near  Sudley  Ford,  without  a  show  of 
opposition.  Colonel  Evans,  with  a  weak  brigade  of  1100  men, 
held  the  Confederate  left,  and  watched  the  Stone  Bridge.  A 
mile  below,  Brigadier- General  Cocke,  with  three  regiments, 
guarded  the  next  ford.  When  Evans  ascertained  that  the  enemy 
were  already  threatening  his  rear,  he  left  the  bridge  and 
turnpike  to  the  guardianship  of  two  small  pieces  of  artillery, 
wheeled  his  gallant  brigade  towards  the  west,  and  advanced  a 
mile  to  meet  the  coming  foe.  Here  the  battle  began,  and  soou 
the  roar  of  musketry,  and  the  accelerated  pounding  of  the  great 
guns,  told  that  the  serious  work  of  the  day  was  to  be  upon 
the  left. 

The  cruel  dilemma  in  which  the  superiority  of  the  enemy's 
numbers,  and  their  successful  manoeuvre,  placed  the  Confederate 
commanders,  can  now  be  comprehended.  If  they  disfurnished 
their  centre  or  right,  while  threatened  with  an  imminent  attack 
in  front,  the  direct  road  to  victory  was  surrendered  to  the  enemy. 
If  they  permitted  their  left  to  remain  unassisted  it  was  inevitably 
crushed,  and  the  remainder  of  the  Confederate  army  was  taken 
in  reverse.  They  had  three  brigades  in  reserve,  of  which  one 
was  not  available,  because  of  its  distance  in  the  rear  of  the 
extreme  right.  But  the  other  two  were  those  of  Generals  Bee 
and  Jackson,  and  the  heroism  of  these  two  was  sufficient  to  rein 
state  the  wavering  fortunes  of  the  day.  The  plan  of  battle 
which  was  adopted,  after  the  designs  of  the  enemy  were  fully  dis 
closed,  was  worthy  of  the  genius  of  Beauregard,  who  suggested, 
and  of  Johnston  who  accepted  it.  This  was,  to  send  the  two 
reserve  brigades  which  were  at  hand  to  sustain  the  shock  upon 


LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON.    • 

the  left,  and  to  enable  that  wing  of  the  army  to  hold  its  ground 
for  a  time,  while  the  centre  and  right  were  advanced  across  Bull 
Run,  and  swung  around  into  a  position  parallel  to  the  enemy's 
line  of  march,  towards  the  Stone  Bridge,  with  the  view  of  assail 
ing  their  rear-guard  and  their  line  of  communications,  at  Centre- 
ville. 

The  movement  was  to  begin  upon  the  extreme  right,  which 
would  have  the  segment  of  the  largest  circle  to  traverse,  and  to 
be  propagated  thence  to  the  centre,  so  as  to  concentrate  all  the 
brigades  below  Cockc's,  in  front  of  Centrcvillc,  in  a  formidable 
line  of  battle.     This  fine  conception  promised  every  advantage. 
It  offered  most  effectual  relief  to  the  laboring  left  wing;  for  The 
Federal   army  would  be   sure  to  relax  its  assault,  when   the 
thunder  of  the  Confederate  battle  on  the  north  side  of  Bull  Run 
and  in  their  rear,  told  them  that  their  line  of  communications 
was  threatened.     At  the  same  time,  it  obviated  the  difficulty, 
otherwise  insuperable,  of  employing  the  right  and  centre,  now 
inactive,  in  deciding  the  fortunes  of  the  day,  without  stripping 
the  lower  fords  of  Bull  Run  of  their  defences,  and  thus  opening 
an  unobstructed  way  for  the  enemy  to  the  Junction.     For  as  the 
Federal  troops  threatening  those  fords  were  pushed  back,  and 
the  Confederates  interposed  between  them  and  the  stream,  that 
access  to  the  Junction  was  more  effectually  barred  than  before. 
But  chiefly,  this  manoeuvre  promised  a  magnificent  completeness 
in  the  victory  which  it  seemed  to  secure ;  because  it  placed  the 
strength  of  the  Confederate  army  in  the  rear  of  their  enemies, 
and  in  a  formidable  position  commanding  their  onlv  line  of 
retreat.     He  who  considers  the  panic  which  their  actual  discom 
fiture  caused  in  the  Federal  army,  will  not  doubt  that,  with  the 
capture  of  Centrcville,  it  would  have  dissolved  into  utter  rout, 
and  been  dissipated  or  captured. 

The  two  generals  despatched  the  orders  for  this  movement  to 


JACKSON  SUCCORS  THE  LEFT.  217 

the  commanders  of  the  right  and  centre,  and  then  galloped  to 
the  scene  of  action  on  the  left  where  the  furious  and  increasing 
fire  showed  that  their  presence  was  so  urgently  needed.  The 
orderlies,  by  whom  they  were  sent,  miscarried ;  and  Beauregard, 
after  listening  in  anxious  suspense  to  hear  his  guns  open  upon 
the  heights  of  Centreville,  until  the  day  and  the  battle  were  too 
far  advanced  for  any  other  resort,  relinquished  the  movement, 
and  devoted  himself  to  sustaining  the  struggle  before  him.  The 
only  Confederate  line  seriously  engaged  was  now  at  right  angles 
to  Bull  Run,  and  facing  westward.  The  Federal  forces  contin 
uing  to  pour  across  at  Sudley  Ford,  and  extending  their  right 
wing  perpetually  farther  to  the  south,  pressed  back  their  oppo 
nents  by  their  fearful  superiority  of  numbers  and  artillery,  and 
by  threatening  to  overlap  their  left.  The  only  tactics  which 
remained  to  the  Confederate  generals  were,  to  bring  up  such 
reinforcements  as  could  be  spared  from  the  centre  and  right 
successively,  and  as  their  line  of  battle  was  borne  back  from 
west  to  east,  to  repair  its  strength,  and  to  increase  its  front  by 
placing  fresh  troops  at  its  south  end,  until  it  had  sufficient  extent 
and  stability  to  breast  the  avalanche  of  Federal  troops. 

The  reader  is  now  prepared  for  an  intelligent  view  of  the 
important  part  borne  by  General  Jackson  in  the  battle.  At 
four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  21st,  he  was  requested  by 
General  Longstreet,  whose  brigade  formed  the  right  of  the 
centre,  to  reinforce  him  with  two  regiments.  With  this  he 
complied,  until  the  appearance  of  an  immediate  attack  was 
rumored.  He  was  soon  after  ordered  by  General  Beauregard 
to  support  Brigadier-General  Bonham  at  Mitchell's  Ford,  then 
to  support  Brigadier-General  Cocke  above,  and  then  to  take  an 
intermediate  position  where  he  could  extend  aid  to  either  of 
the  two.  About  ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  General  Cocke  requested 
him  to  move  to  the  Stone  Bridge,  and  assume  the  task  of 

28 


218  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

guarding  it,  in  place  of  Evans,  who  had  gone  westward  to  meet 
the  enemy  descending  from  Sudley.  But  as  Jackson  advanced 
in  this  direction,  the  firing  became  more  audible,  and  taught  his 
superior  judgment  where  was  the  true  point  of  danger.  He 
hastened  towards  it,  sending  forward  a  messenger  to  General 
Bee,  who  had  already  reinforced  Evans,  to  encourage  him  with 
the  tidings,  that  he  was  coming  to  his  support  with  all  his  force. 
It  was,  indeed,  in  good  time.  For  two  hours,  these  two  officers, 
with  five  regiments  and  six  guns,  had  breasted  the  Federal 
advance,  often  nearly  surrounded,  but  stubbornly  fighting  as 
they  retired,  inflicting  and  receiving  heavy  losses,  until  their 
commands  were  disheartened  and  almost  broken.  As  Jackson 
advanced  to  their  assistance,  he  met  the  fragments  of  Bee's 
regiment  sullenly  retiring,  while  the  heavy  lines  of  the  Federal 
ists  were  surging  forward  like  mighty  waves.  He  proposed  to 
that  general  to  form  a  new  line  of  battle,  assuming  the  centre 
for  himself,  while  Bee  rallied  his  men  in  the  rear,  and  then 
resumed  his  place  upon  his  right.  The  ground  which  Jackson 
selected  for  standing  at  bay,  was  the  crest  of  an  elevated  ridge 
running  at  right  angles  to  Bull  Run,  between  Young's  Branch 
and  another  rivulet  to  the  eastward,  which  flowed  by  a  parallel 
course  into  the  former  stream.  The  northern  end  of  this  ridge 
overlooked  the  Stone  Bridge.  Its  top  and  its  western  slopes 
were  cleared  of  timber,  and  swept  down  in  open  fields  to  a 
valley,  which  divided  Jackson  at  the  moment  from  the  advancing 
enemy ;  but  the  reverse  side  of  the  hill,  towards  the  Confederate 
rear,  was  clothed  with  a  tangled  thicket  of  pines,  impenetrable, 
save  by  two  pathways,  to  artillery  or  cavalry.  Before  the  Con 
federate  line,  were  two  homely  cottages,  with  their  enclosures 
and  stables,*  and  a  country  road  descended  obliquely  across 
the  front,  at  the  distance  of  a  few  hundred  yards,  enclosed  on 
both  sides  with  the  heavy  wooden  fences  of  the  country,  and 


FIRST   MAXASSAS. 


219 


220  LIFE  OP  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

worn,  by  the  action  of  the  elements,  into  an  excavation  of  a 
yard  in  depth. 

The  soldierly  eye  of  Jackson,  at  a  glance,  perceived  that  this 
was  the  spot  on  which  to  arrest  the  enemy's  triumph.  In  the 
rear  of  this,  the  country  approached  more  the  character  of  a 
plain,  and  offered  no  marked  advantages.  It  was  true  that  the 
two  little  farm-houses  in  front  of  his  right  and  left  respectively, 
offered  shelter  to  the  enemy  should  they  succeed  in  approaching 
his  position,  and  the  road  which  descended  beyond  gave  them 
almost  the  advantage  of  an  entrenchment;  but  the  thickets  on 
his  right,  left,  and  rear,  protected  them  from  the  assault  of  any 
other  force  than  skirmishers,  —  a  vital  point  to  one  so  fearfully 
outnumbered.  The  swelling  ridge  gave  his  artillery  a  command 
ing  elevation,  whence  every  approach  of  the  enemy  in  front  could 
be  swept  with  effect,  and,  by  placing  his  guns  a  little  behind  the 
crest,  he  gave  the  cannoneers  who  served  them  a  protection  from 
the  adverse  fire.  The  infantry  supports  in  the  rear  of  the  bat 
teries  were  still  better  shielded.  Here,  then,  he  began  the  new 
formation,  by  putting  in  position  two  guns  of  Stanard's  battery, 
with  the  regiments  which  headed  his  column  of  march,  and, 
while  the  remainder  came  to  the  ground  designed  for  them, 
these  two  pieces  held  the  enemy  in  check  by  their  accurate  fire. 
The  opposing  batteries  were  then  upon  the  hill  beyond  the  valley 
in  front,  which  was  also  swarming  with  heavy  masses  of  Federal 
infantry.  Jackson  recalled  Imboden's  battery,  which  had  entered 
the  action  with  General  Bee's  command,  and  gallantly  main 
tained  a  perilous  position  until  all  its  supports  were  routed. 
He  brought  up  the  other  two  guns  of  Stanard,  and  also  the 
Pendleton  battery,  so  that  twelve  pieces,  which  a  little  after 
were  increased  to  seventeen,  were  placed  in  line  under  his 
command  behind  the  crest  of  the  eminence.  Behind  this  formi 
dable  array  he  placed  the  4th  and  27th  Regiments,  commanded 


THE   STRUGGLE.  221 

respectively  by  Colonel  Preston  and  Lieut-Colonel  Echols,  lying 
upon  their  breasts  to  avoid  the  storm  of  cannon-shot.  On  the 
right  of  the  batteries,  he  posted  Harper's  5th  Virginia,  and  on  the 
left  the  2d  Regiment  commanded  by  Colonel  Allen,  and  the  33d 
led  by  Colonel  Cummings.  Both  ends  of  the  brigade,  when  thus 
disposed,  penetrated  the  thickets  on  the  right  and  left,  and  the  33d 
was  wholly  masked  by  them.  On  the  right  of  Jackson's  Brigade, 
General  Bee  placed  the  remains  of  the  forces  which,  under  him 
and  Evans,  had  hitherto  borne  the  heat  and  burden  of  the  day, 
while,  on  the  left,  a  few  regiments  of  Virginian  and  Carolinian 
troops  were  stationed.  At  this  stage  of  affairs,  Generals  John 
ston  and  Beauregard  galloped  to  the  front,  inspiriting  the  men  by 
their  words  and  fearless  exposure  of  their  persons,  and  assisted 
in  advancing  the  standards  of  the  rallying  regiments.  Their 
appeals  were  answered  by  the  fierce  cheers  of  the  Confederates ; 
and  a  new  battle  now  began,  to  which  the  former  was  but  a 
skirmish.  Jackson's  Brigade  numbered  2600  bayonets,  and 
all  the  troops  confronting  the  enemy,  about  6500.  The  Fed 
eral  commander,  according  to  his  own  declaration,  marshalled 
20,000  of  his  best  troops,  with  twenty-four  guns,  for  the  attack 
upon  this  position.  Successive  lines  of  infantry  were  pressed 
across  the  valley  and  up  the  ascent  of  the  ridge  j  they  filled  the 
fences  of  the  roadway  with  sharp-shooters,  who  picked  off  the 
Confederate  gunners  with  their  long-range  rifles ;  they  crowded 
onward,  and  got  foothold  in  the  buildings  before  their  lines. 
The  Federal  artillery  poured  a  tempest  of  missiles  upon  our 
batteries,  while  they  as  furiously  cannonaded  the  advancing  lines 
of  infantry.  From  11  o'clock  A.M.  to  3  P.M.  the  artillery  shook, 
the  earth  with  its  incessant  roar,  while  the  more  deadly  clang  of 
the  musketry  rolled  in  peals  across  the  field.  To  the  spectator 
in  the  rear,  the  smoke  and  dust  rolled  sullenly  upward  beyond 
the  dark  horizon  of  pines,  like  the  fumes  of  Tophet.  Through 


222  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

the  long  summer  hours,  Jackson's  patient  infantry  stood  the 
ordeal,  which  even  the  hardiest  veterans  dread,  lying  passive 
behind  their  batteries  while  the  plunging  shot  and  shells  of  the 
enemy  ploughed  frequent  gaps  through  their  lines.  He  rode, 
the  presiding  genius  of  the  storm,  constantly  along  his  lines, 
between  the  artillery  and  the  prostrate  regiments,  inspiring  con 
fidence  wherever  he  came.  In  the  early  morning,  while  he  was 
ordered  first  to  one  post  and  then  to  another,  but  always  in  the 
rear,  and  it  seemed  as  if  he  were  destined  for  no  decisive  share 
in  the  great  struggle,  his  men  noticed  that  his  cheeks  were  wan 
and  his  eye  haggard  with  anxiety  and  suspense.  But  now,  all 
was  changed,  the  ruddy  glow  had  returned  to  his  face,  his  whole 
form  was  instinct  with  life ;  and  while  his  eye  blazed  with  that 
fire  which  no  other  eye  could  meet,  his  countenance  was  clothed 
with  a  serene  and  assured  smile. 

As  the  grim  wrestle  continued,  for  the  key  of  the  Confederate 
position,  the  enemy  perceived  that  they  could  make  no  impres 
sion  upon  Jackson's  front.  They  therefore  extended  and  ad 
vanced  their  wings.  On  his  left,  they  brought  a  formidable 
battery  of  six  guns  within  musket  range,  intending  to  enfilade 
his  line,  while  on  his  right  their  irresistible  numbers  over 
whelmed  the  shattered  ranks  of  Bee. 

It  was  then  that  this  general  rode  up  to  Jackson,  and  with 
despairing  bitterness  exclaimed,  "  General,  they  are  beating  us 
back ! "  "  Then,"  said  Jackson,  calm  and  curt,  "  we  will  give 
them  the  bayonet."  Bee  seemed  to  catch  the  inspiration  of  his 
determined  will,  and,  galloping  back  to  the  broken  fragments 
of  his  over-tasked  command,  exclaimed  to  them,  "  There  is 
Jackson  standing  like  a  stone  wall.  Rally  behind  the  Vir 
ginians.  Let  us  determine  to  die  here,  and  ive  will  conquer. 
Follow  me"  At  this  trumpet-call  a  few  score  of  his  men 
reformed  their  ranks.  Placing  himself  at  their  head,  he  charged 


THE  BAYONET  CHARGE.  223 

the  dense  mass  of  the  enemy,  and  in  a  moment  fell  dead,  with 
his  face  to  the  foe.  From  that  time  Jackson's  was  known  as 
the  Stone-wall  Brigade,  a  name  henceforward  immortal,  and 
belonging  to  all  the  ages ;  for  the  christening  was  baptized  in 
the  blood  of  its  author,  and  that  wall  of  brave  hearts  has  been, 
on  every  battle-field,  a  steadfast  bulwark  of  their  country. 

Meantime,  the  battery  which  advanced  upon  Jackson's  left 
had  paid  dearly  for  its  temerity.  It  formed  itself  close  upon 
the  masked  position  of  the  33d  regiment,  which,  after  a  well- 
directed  volley  from  the  unerring  mountain  riflemen  that  slaugh 
tered  the  larger  part  of  the  horses,  dashed  upon  it  with  the 
bayonet,  and  captured  every  gun.  But  the  excavated  road-way 
was  just  beyond,  and,  from  its  depressed  banks  and  zig-zag 
fences,  the  Federal  infantry  poured  in  such  a  fire,  that  it  was 
impossible  to  retain  the  prize.  The  struggle  for  the  crest  of  the 
eminence  had  now  continued  three  hours,  and  was  evidently 
approaching  its  crisis.  Both  of  Jackson's  flanks  were  threatened. 
Upon  his  front  the  enemy  was  pressing  with  overwhelming  num 
bers  ;  the  ammunition  and  the  strength  of  his  cannoneers  were 
failing  together ;  and  the  red  cloud  of  dust,  in  which  the  advanc 
ing  line  of  the  Federalists  shrouded  itself,  was  rolling  perilously 
near  to  his  batteries.  Jackson  saw  that  the  moment  had  come 
to  appeal  to  his  supreme  arbiter,  the  bayonet.  Wheeling  his 
guns  suddenly  to  the  rear  by  his  right  and  left,  he  cleared  away 
the  arena  before  his  regiments,  and  gave  them  all  the  signal. 
Riding  up  to  the  2d  regiment,  he  cried,  "Reserve  your  fire  till 
they  come  within  fifty  yards,  then  fire  and  give  them  the  bayonet ; 
and,  when  you  charge,  yell  like  furies ! "  Like  noble  hounds 
unleashed,  his  men  sprang  to  their  feet,  concentrating  into  that 
moment  all  the  pent-up  energies  and  revenge  of  the  hours  of 
passive  suffering,  delivered  one  deadly  volley,  and  dashed  upon 
the  enemy.  These  did  not  tarry  to  cross  bayonets  with  them, 


224  LIFE   OP  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

but  recoiled,  broke,  and  fled  headlong  from  the  field.  The 
captured  battery  was  recaptured,  along  with  a  regimental  flag  ; 
the  centre  of  the  enemy's  line  of  battle  was  pierced,  and  the  area, 
for  which  they  had  struggled  so  stubbornly,  cleared  of  then- 
presence. 

This  was,  for  the  Confederates,  the  critical  success.  For 
nearly  four  hours,  Jackson  had  held  the  enemy  at  bay ;  and  the 
precious  season  had  been  diligently  improved  by  the  commanding 
Generals,  in  bringing  up  their  reserves.  As  the  pressure  upon 
their  lines  below  was  relaxed,  regiments  and  brigades  were 
detached,  and  hurried  up  to  the  scene  of  action.  A  perpetual 
stream  of  fresh  men  was  pouring  on  towards  the  smoking  pine- 
woods,  the  chasms  made  in  the  scanty  host  on  the  crest  were 
refilled,  and  the  Confederate  line  of  battle  extended  towards  the 
south,  by  new  batteries  and  brigades.  The  decisive  hour  was 
saved,  and  saved  chiefly  by  Jackson's  skill  and  heroism.  It  is 
true  that,  even  when  he  charged  the  enemy's  centre,  their  sharp 
shooters  found  an  inlet  through  the  breaches  of  the  line  upon  his 
right  and  left,  and  almost  enveloped  his  rear ;  that  his  brigade 
was  partially  broken  and  dissipated,  by  the  eagerness  of  its 
pursuit  of  the  fugitive  foe;  and  that  their  teeming  numbers 
enabled  these  to  return  again  and  re-occupy  a  portion  of  the 
contested  arena,  and  the  battery  which  Jackson  had  twice  taken. 
But  the  other  troops  which  were  now  at  hand,  were  formed  by 
him,  under  the  direction  of  General  Johnston,  and  speedily 
regained  the  lost  ground;  a  few  well-directed  shots  from  the 
artillery  which  Jackson  posted  farther  to  the  rear,  cleared  away 
the  encumbrances  of  his  right  flank;  and  the  fresh  regiments 
killed  or  captured  the  audacious  skirmishers,  who  had  insinuated 
themselves  into  the  thickets  behind  him. 

It  was  now  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  the  Federalists 
were  as  yet  only  repulsed,  and  not  routed.  They  were  still 


THE  FEDERALISTS  ROUTED.  225 

bringing  up  fresh  masses,  and,  on  the  eminences  fronting  that 
from  which  they  had  just  been  driven,  were  forming  an  imposing 
line  of  battle,  crescent-shaped,  with  the  convex  side  toward  the 
Confederates,  for  a  final  effort.  But  their  hour  had  passed. 
The  reserves  from  the  extreme  right,  under  Early  and  Holmes, 
were  now  at  hand ;  and  better  still,  the  Manassa's  Gap  Rail- 
road,  cleared  of  its  obstructions,  was  again  pouring  down  the 
remainder  of  the  Army  of  the  Valley.  General  Kirby  Smith 
led  a  body  of  these  direct  to  the  field,  and  receiving  at  once  a 
dangerous  wound,  was  replaced  by  Colonel  Arnold  Elzy,  whom 
Beauregard  styled  the  Blucher  of  his  Waterloo.  These  troops 
being  hurled  against  the  enemy's  right,  while  the  victorious  Con 
federates  in  the  centre  turned  against  them  their  own  artillery, 
they  speedily  broke,  and  their  retreat  became  a  panic  rout. 
Every  man  sought  the  nearest  crossing  of  Bull  Run.  Cannon, 
small  arms,  standards,  were  deserted.  The  great  causeway, 
from  the  Stone  Bridge  to  Centreville,  was  one  surging  and  mad 
dened  mass  of  men,  horses,  artillery,  and  baggage,  amidst  which 
the  gay  equipages  of  the  amateur  spectators  of  the  carnage, 
male  ar.d  female,  were  crushed  like  shells ;  while  the  Confeder 
ate  cavalry  scourged  their  flanks,  and  Kemper's  field-battery 
from  behind,  pressed  them  like  a  Nemesis,  and  ploughed  through 
the  frantic  medley  with  his  bullets.  In  this  pursuit  Jackson 
took  no  share,  except  to  plant  a  battery  upon  a  rising  ground 
at  his  rear,  whence  he  could  speed  the  flight  of  the  enemy  with 
some  parting  shots.  He  retired  then  to  seek  relief  for  a  painful 
wound  in  the  hand,  which  he  had  received  early  in  the  action  ; 
while  his  officers  collected  their  weaned  and  shattered  men,  and 
ministered  to  their  disabled  comrades. 

Along  a  little  rivulet,  fringed  with  willows,  which  ran  behind 
the  hill  that  received  the  farthest  cannon-shot  of  the  enemy, 
many  hundreds  of  wounded  Confederates  were  gathered,  with 


LIFE   OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

many  more  of  shameless  stragglers,  who  had  deserted  the  field 
under  the  pretext  of  assisting  disabled  comrades.  During  all 
the  afternoon,  the  surgeons  were  busy  here,  under  the  grateful 
shade,  plying  their  repulsive  but  benevolent  task,  and  the  green 
sward  was  strewn  for  half  a  mile  with  men  writhing  in  every 
form  of  suffering,  and  the  corpses  of  those  just  dead.  Here 
Jackson  found  the  Medical  Director  and  the  surgeons  of  his 
brigade.  A  rifle-ball  had  passed  through  his  bridle-hand,  break 
ing  the  longest  finger  and  lacerating  the  next.  He  was  seen  at 
the  time  to  give  his  hand  an  impatient  shake,  and  wrap  his 
handkerchief  around  it,  but,  during  the  remainder  of  the  action, 
he  took  no  further  notice  of  it.  When  he  came  up,  his  friend, 
Dr.  M'Guirc,  said,  "General,  are  you  much  hurt?"  "No," 
replied  he;  "  I  believe  it  is  a  trifle."  "How  goes  the  day?" 
asked  the  other.  "Oh!"  exclaimed  Jackson,  with  intense 
elation,  "  we  have  beat  them ;  we  have  a  glorious  victory ;  my 
brigade  made  them  run  like  dogs."  And  this  was  the  only 
instance  in  which  he  was  ever  known  to  give  expression  to 
these  emotions,  upon  his  most  brilliant  triumphs.  Several 
surgeons  now  gathered  around  to  examine  him,  but  he 
refused  their  services,  saying,  "No,  I  can  wait;  my  wound 
is  a  trifle;  attend  first  to  these  poor  fellows."  And  he 
persisted,  against  their  earnest  entreaties,  in  compelling  them 
to  dress  the  hurts  of  all  the  seriously  wounded  belonging 
to  their  charge,  while  he  sat  by  upon  the  grass  holding  up 
his  bloody  hand,  evidently  suffering  acute  pain,  but  with  a  quiet 
smile  on  his  face.  After  the  common  soldiers  were  attended  to, 
he  submitted  to  their  examination,  and,  as  they  passed  judgment 
upon  the  nature  of  the  wound,  he  looked  intently  from  one 
speaker  to  another,  while  all,  except  their  chief,  concurred  in 
declaring  that  one  finger  at  least  must  be  removed  immediately. 
Turning  to  him,  hp  said,  "  Dr.  M'Guire,  what  is  your  opinion  ?  " 


RESULTS   OF   THE   VICTORY.  227 

He  answered,  "  General,  if  we  attempt  to  save  the  finger,  the 
cure  will  be  more  painful ;  but  if  this  were  my  hand,  I  should 
make  the  experiment."  His  only  reply  was  to  lay  the  mangled 
hand  in  Dr.  M'Guire's,  with  a  calm  and  decisive  motion,  saying, 
"Doctor,  then  do  you  dress  it."  The  effort  was  a  successful, 
though  a  tedious  one,  and  his  hand  was  restored,  after  a  time, 
nearly  to  its  original  shape,  and  soundness. 

While  he  was  at  this  place,  the  President  of  the  Confederate 
States,  with  a  brilliant  staff,  galloped  by  towards  the  battle-field, 
and  called  upon  the  idlers  to  return  with  him  to  the  assistance  of 
their  comrades.  General  Jackson  arose,  waved  his  cap,  and 
exhorted  the  men  to  give  him  a  lusty  cheer,  and  to  respond  with 
alacrity  to  his  orders.  The  men  who  had  shed  their  blood  for 
the  cause  were  much  more  hearty  in  their  greeting  than  the 
stragglers.  Jackson,  describing  the  manifest  rout  of  the  enemy, 
remarked  to  the  physicians,  that  he  believed  "with  10,000  fresh 
men  he  could  go  into  the  city  of  Washington." 

The  actual  results  of  this  victory  were  the  capture  of  twenty- 
eight  cannon,  with  several  thousands  of  muskets,  and  a  vast  store 
of  ammunition,  equipments,  and  clothing;  a  number  of  army- 
wagons  and  ambulances,  and  a  thousand  or  two  of  prisoners  of 
war.  The  State  was  delivered  from  the  immediate  danger  of 
invasion,  and,  while  the  Federal  army  and  capital,  with  the 
rabble  of  the  nation,  were  thrown  into  a  panic  as  abject  as  their 
previous  boasting  had  been  arrogant,  the  Confederate  people  and 
armies  received  the  news  of  their  deliverance  with  an  unwonted 
quiet,  made  up  of  devout  gratitude  to  God,  and  solemn  enthu 
siasm.  No  bells  were  rung  in  Richmond,  no  bonfires  lighted,  no 
popular  demonstrations  made.  From  the  solemn  acts  of  religious 
thanksgiving,  the  people  turned  at  once  to  eager  ministrations  to 
the  wounded  heroes,  who  had  purchased  the  victory  with  their 
blood.  For  these,  the  preparations  made  by  the  Confederate 


228  LIFE    OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

Government  were  crude  and  scanty,  but  the  generosity  of  tlie 
people  amply  supplemented  the  lack  of  public  service.  The 
commanding  generals  reported,  on  the  Confederate  uide,  a  loss 
of  369  killed  on  the  field,  and  1483  wounded.  The  Federal 
commander  never  confessed  his  real  loss,  covering  up  the  number 
of  his  killed  in  a  vague  statement  of  the  missing;  but  the 
greater  masses  engaged  on  his  side,  the  superior  accuracy  of  the 
Confederate  fire,  and  the  appearance  of  the  field  of  battle,  proved 
.  that  the  enemy's  killed  and  wounded  must  have  been  twice  or 
thrice  as  numerous  as  ours. 

The  portion  of  the  Confederate  loss  borne  by  Jackson's 
brigade  was  the  best  evidence  of  the  character  of  their  resist 
ance,  and  of  its  importance  to  the  general  result.  Out  of  less 
than  2700  men  present  it  lost  112  killed  and  393  wounded. 
The  object  of  this  narrative  has  been  to  give  such  a  sketch 
of  the  whole  battle,  as  to  make  the  part  borne  by  the  Stone 
wall  Brigade  and  its  leader  intelligible,  and  to  give  fuller  details 
of  the  conduct  of  the  general  whose  life  is  the  subject  of  this 
work.  The  reader  will  not  infer  from  this  that  all  the  stubborn 
and  useful  fighting  was  done  by  Jackson  and  his  command. 
Other  officers  and  other  brigades  displayed  equal  heroism,  and 
contributed  essentially  to  the  final  result.  But  the  divine  Provi 
dence  which  he  delighted  so  much  to  recognize  assigned  to  him 
the  maintenance  of  the  critical  post,  during  the  critical  hours. 
Had  the  enemy  overpowered  his  brigade  a,nd  occupied  the  emi 
nence,  which  was  the  key  of  the  Confederate  position,  or  had 
they  not  been  held  at  bay  until  forces  could  be  assembled  to 
cope  with  them,  no  other  stand  could  have  been  made,  save 
within  the  entrenchments  around  the  Junction,  where  the  lack 
of  water  and  the  confined  limits  would  speedily  have  made 
surrender  inevitable.  In  this  sense  Jackson  may  be  said  to 
have  won  the  first  Battle  of  Manassas. 


IMPORTANCE  OF  JACKSON'S  AGENCY.  229 

But  no  narrative  of  the  event  will  be  so  full  of  interest  to  the 
reader  as  the  disclosure  of  his  own  secret  emotions  in  view  of 
the  battle.  To  his  wife  he  wrote,  July  22d :  — 

"  Yesterday  we  fought  a  great  battle,  and  gained  a  great  vic 
tory,  for  which  all  the  glory  is  due  to  God  alone.  Though  under 
a  heavy  fire  for  several  continuous  hours,  I  only  received  one 
wound,  the  breaking  of  the  largest  finger  of  the  left  hand, 
but  the  doctor  says  the  finger  can  be  saved.  My  horse  was 
wounded,  but  not  killed.  .  My  coat  got  an  ugly  wound  near 
the  hip.  My  preservation  was  entirely  due,  as  was  the  glo 
rious  victory,  to  our  God,  to  whom  be  all  the  glory,  honor,  and 
praise.  Whilst  great  credit  is  due  to  other  parts  of  our  gallant 
army,  God  made  my  brigade  more  instrumental  than  any  other 
in  repulsing  the  main  attack.  This  is  for  your  own  information 
only;  .  .  .  say  nothing  about  it.  Let' another  speak  praise, 
not  myself." 

To  complete  this  view  of  his  magnanimous  and  modest 
temper,  two  other  letters  will  be  anticipated.  In  reply  to  some 
expression  of  impatience  at  the  silence  of  rumor  concerning  his 
valuable  services,  while  so  many  others  were  vaunting  their 
exploits  in  the  newspapers,  he  wrote,  July  29th:  — 

"You  must  not  be  concerned  at  seeing  other  parts  of  the 
army  lauded,  and  my  brigade  not  mentioned.  '  Truth  is  pow 
erful,  and  will  prevail.'  When  the  reports  are  published,  if 
not  before,  I  expect  to  see  justice  done  to  this  noble  body  of 
patriots." 

"August  5th.  —  You  think  that  the  papers  ought  to  say  more 
about  me.  My  brigade  is  not  a  brigade  of  newspaper  corre 
spondents.  I  know  that  the  1st  Brigade  was  the  first  to  meet 
and  pass  our  retreating  forces,  to  push  on  with  no  other  aid  than 
the  smiles  of  God,  to  boldly  take  its  position  with  the  artillery 
that  was  under  my  command,  to  arrest  the  victorious  foe  in  his 


230  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSOS. 

onward  progress,  to  hold  him  in  check  until  reinforcements 
arrived,  and,  finally,  to  charge  bayonets,  and,  thus  advancing, 
pierce  the  enemy's  centre.  I  am  well  satisfied  with  what  it  did, 
and  so  are  my  Generals,  Johnston  and  Beauregard.  ...  I  am 
thankful  to  our  ever  kind  heavenly  Father,  that  He  makes  me 
content  to  await  His  own  good  time  and  pleasure  for  commen 
dation,  knowing  that  all  things  work  together  for  my  good. 
Never  distrust  our  God,  who  doeth  all  things  well.  In  due  time 
He  will  make  manifest  all  His  pleasure,  which  is  all  His  people 
should  ever  desire.  If  my  brigade  can  always  play  as  impor 
tant  and  useful  a  part  as  in  the  last  battle,  I  shall  always  be 
very  grateful,  I  trust." 

The  pursuit  of  the  enemy  was  not  continued  beyond  Centre- 
ville,  and  this  was  the  first  error  which  made  the  laurels  of  the 
Confederate  army,  so  fair  to  the  eye,  barren  of  substantial  fruit. 
It  was  accounted  for,  in  part,  by  the  paucity  of  the  cavalry ;  but 
this  excuse  was  no  justification,  because  the  cavalry  in  hand,  of 
which  only  two  companies  had  been  engaged  in  the  actual  com 
bat,  was  not  pertinaciously  pressed  after  the  fugitives,  but  paused 
even  before  it  met  with  any  solid  resistance  from  them.  Another 
cause  of  the  interrupted  pursuit  was  a  rumor  brought  at  sunset 
to  the  commanding  generals,  by  some  alarmed  scout,  who  had 
seen  a  bewildered  picquet  of  the  enemy  wandering  through  the 
country,  —  that  a  powerful  Federal  force  was  about  to  attack 
the  lines  of  Bull  Run  near  the  Union  Mills,  where  they  were 
now  denuded  of  defenders.  This  caused  them  to  recall  the 
fresher  regiments  from  the  chase,  and  send  them  upon  a  forced 
march  of  seven  or  eight  miles,  by  night,  to  meet  an  imaginary 
enemy,  and  to  return  next  morning  to  the  field  of  battle.  It 
would  have  been  better  had  those  regiments  marched  an  equiv 
alent  fourteen  miles  upon  the  track  of  the  fugitives.  It  should 
have  been  remembered  also,  that,  even  if  full  credit  were  given 


THE   PURSUIT   DISCONTINUED.  231 

to  the  rumor  of  a  fresh  force  advancing  from  the  east,  the  masses 
which  General  McDowell  had  that  day  displayed  on  the  left  and 
front,  all  of  which  were  now  discomfited,  were  too  large  to  permit 
the  supposition  that  this  detachment  could  be  itself  a  formidable 
array.  But,  if  it  were,  obviously  enough  its  proposed  attack 
was  intended  to  be  only  in  concert  with  the  one  already  made 
by  McDowell,  so  that  the  most  speedy  and  certain  way  to  repel 
it  was  to  precipitate  the  rout  of  the  latter.  The  true  policy  of 
the  Confederate  generals  should  therefore  have  been  to  leave 
this  supposed  assault  to  take  care  of  itself,  for  the  moment,  and 
to  hurry  every  man  after  the  beaten  enemy. 

The  whole  army  and  country  naturally  hoped,  that  so  splendid 
a  victory  would  not  be  allowed  to  pass,  without  prompt  and 
energetic  efforts  to  gather  in  all  the  fruits.  It  was  expected 
that  the  Confederate  commanders  would  at  least  pursue  the 
enemy  to  the  gates  of  their  entrenchments  before  Alexandria 
a.nd  Washington ;  and  it  was  hoped  that  it  might  not  be  imprac 
ticable,  in  the  agony  of  their  confusion,  to  recover  the  Virginian 
city,  to  conquer  the  hostile  capital,  with  its  immense  spoils,  and 
to  emancipate  oppressed  Maryland,  by  one  happy  blow.  The 
toiling  army,  which  had  marched  and  fought  along  the  hills  of 
Bull  Run  through  the  long  July  day,  demanded,  with  enthusiasm, 
to  be.  led  after  the  flying  foe,  and  declared  that  they  would 
march  the  soles  off  their  feet  in  so  glorious  an  errand  without 
a  murmur.  But  more  than  this;  the  morning  after  the  battle 
saw  an  aggregate  of  10,000  fresh  men,  composed  of  the  re 
mainder  of  the  Army  of  the  Valley,  who  had  at  length  reached 
the  scene,  and  of  reinforcements  from  Richmond,  arrive  within 
the  entrenchments  at  Manassa's  Junction,  who  were  burning 
with  enthusiasm,  and  expected  nothing  else  than  to  be  led 
against  the  enemy  at  once.  In  a  few  days,  the  patriotic  citi 
zens  of  Alexandria  sent  authentic  intelligence  of  the  condition 


232  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

of  the  beaten  rabble  there,  and  in  Washington,  which  a  true 
military  sagacity  would  have  anticipated,  as  Jackson  did,  with 
out  actual  testimony.  When  Bee  and  Evans  were  repulsed  in 
the  forenoon,  the  Federalists  had  telegraphed  to  Washington 
that  the  "rebels  "  were  beaten  in  the  open  field;  that  the  Grand 
Army  was  marching  triumphantly  upon  the  Junction ;  and  that 
victory  was  assured.  This  premature  boast  the  vain  confidence 
of  the  Federals  accepted  as  sufficient,  and  they  spent  the  re 
mainder  of  the  Sabbath-day  in  exultation;  but  the  datrn  of 
Monday  revealed  to  the  citizens  of  Alexandria  a  different  story. 
Already  the  streets  were  full  of  a  miserable,  jaded,  and  un 
armed  rabble,  whose  fears  had  given  them  wings  to  flee  the  thirty 
miles,  within  the  short  summer  night.  They  sat  cowed,  upon 
the  curbstones  and  door-steps,  and  begged  the  citizens,  over 
whom  they  had  so  lately  boasted,  in  pitiful  tones,  for  a  morsel 
of  bread  and  a  few  rags  to  bind  up  their  wounds.  As  the 
morning  advanced,  the  stream  increased  into  a  torrent.  They 
had  run  until  their  laboring  breath  compelled  them  to  fall  into 
a  languid  walk,  and  yet,  at  every  sound  in  the  rear,  they  burst 
into  fresh  speed.  Stalwart  men  were  seen  to  throw  themselves 
upon  the  pavement,  upon  reaching  the  town,  and  give  vent  to 
their  sense  of  relief,  in  floods  of  tears.  To  the  questions  of  the 
citizens,  some  replied  that  Beauregard,  with  his  bloody  horse 
men,  was  just  beyond  the  last  hill ;  while  some  were  too  fright 
ened  and  eager  to  pause  for  any  answer.  For  days,  there  was 
neither  organization  nor  obedience,  nor  thought  of  resistance, 
on  the  south  side  of  the  Potomac;  and  the  confused  crowd 
heeded  only  two  wants,  Jfood  for  their  present  hunger,  and  means 
to  cross  the  river,  that  they  might  at  once  desert,  and  return 
to  their  homes.  The  steam  ferry-boats  were  crowded  nearly 
to  sinking,  until  the  authorities  of  Washington  arrested  their 
journeys  altogether.  Sentry  or  picket-guard  there  was  none 


PRECIOUS    OPPORTUNITY   LOST.  233 

on  the  front  next  the  enemy ;  the  whole  energies  of  the  military 
authorities  were  directed  to  guarding  the  other  side,  to  prevent 
their  brave  soldiers  from  running  away.  Nor  was  the  capital 
city  in  a  more  hopeful  condition.  Confusion  and  uncertainty 
reigned  there;  nothing  was  needed  but  a  few  cannon-shots 
upon'  the  southern  bank,  to  turn  their  alarm  also  into  a  panic 
rout. 

Now,  then,  said  the  more  reflecting,  was  the  time  for  vigorous 
audacity.  Now,  a  Napoleonic  genius,  were  he  present,  would 
make  this  victory  another  Jena,  in  its  splendid  fruits;  and, 
before  the  enemy  recovered  from  his  staggering  blow,  would 
concentrate,  into  one  effort,  the  labors  and  successes  of  a  whole 
campaign.  He  would  fiercely  press  upon  the  disorganized 
masses;  he  would  thunder  at  the  gates  of  Washington;  and, 
replenishing  his  exhausted  equipments  with  the  mighty  spoils, 
would  rush  blazing,  like  the  lightning  that  shineth  from  the  one 
part  under  heaven  to  the  other,  through  the  affrighted  North, 
until  the  usurper  was  crippled,  humbled,  and  compelled  to 
relinquish  his  iniquitous  designs.  Especially  was  this  boldness 
the  true  prudence  now,  because  of  the  revolutionary  nature  of 
the  war.'  Such  struggles  are  so  much  moral  convulsions,  that 
military  success  is  usually  the  prize  of  that  party  which  knows 
how  to  impress,  and  mould  the  vacillating  mind  of  the  public,  by 
its  initial  policy.  Nowhere  else  is  it  more  true,  that  the  use 
made  of  the  first  tide  of  fortune  decides  the  whole  issue.  In  the 
North,  the  coercive  policy  of  the  Lincoln  Government  was  an 
acknowledged  innovation  upon  the  established  doctrines  of  the 
Republic.  Up  to  that  year,  all  schools  of  politicians  had  con 
demned  it  as  wicked  and  absurd.  The  rage  and  pride  of  the 
Black  Republicans  had  impelled  them  to  adopt  it,  but  it  was  a 
confessed  novelty ;  and  with  all  their  heat,  there  was  no  solid 
assurance  of  its  success.  The  triumphs  of  the  patriots  against 

30 


234  LIFE   OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

it  would  have  taught  multitudes  to  reconsider  the  rash  aud 
bloody  experiment,  and  to  return,  though  with  reluctance,  to  the 
creed  which  founded  the  Union  on  the  consent  of  the  sovereign 
States.  But  especially  were  decisive  results  at  the  outset  im 
portant  to  determine  the  wavering  judgments  of  Maryland, 
Kentucky,  and  Missouri.  The  occupation  of  Washington  would 
have  transferred  the  former  of  these  States  from  the  Northern  to 
the  Southern  side,  and  have  united  the  divided  allegiance  of  the 
other  two ;  and  such  a  change  in  the  balance  of  strength,  would 
have  decided  the  whole  subsequent  success,  had  the  North  there 
after  endeavored  to  continue  the  struggle. 

With  these  views  of  the  campaign,  General  Jackson  earnestly 
concurred.  His  sense  of  official  propriety  sealed  his  lips  j  and, 
when  the  more  impatient  spirits  inquired,  day  after  day,  why 
they  were  not  led  after  the  enemy,  his  only  answer  was  to  say, 
"  That  is  the  affair  of  the  commanding  Generals."  But  to  his 
confidential  friends  he  afterwards  declared,  when  no  longer 
under  the  orders  of  those  officers,  that  their  inaction  was  a 
deplorable  blunder ;  and  this  opinion  he  was  subsequently  accus 
tomed  to  assert,  with  a  warmth  and  emphasis  unusual  in  his 
guarded  manner.  He  was  then  compelled  to  sit  silent,  and  see 
the  noble  army,  with  its  enthusiastic  recruits,  withering  away  in 
inaction  on  the  plains  of  Bull  Run,  now  doubly  pestilential  from 
the  miasma  of  the  August  heats,  and  the  stench  of  the  battle-field, 
under  camp-fevers  tenfold  more  fatal  than  all  the  bullets  of  the 
enemy.  Regiments  dwindled,  under  the  scourge,  to  skeletons ; 
and  the  rude,  temporary  hospitals  acquired  trains  of  graves,  far 
more  numerous  and  extended  than  those  upon  the  hills  around 
the  Stone  Bridge.  The  enemy  recovered  from  their  terror, 
which  was  replaced,  again,  by  a  mocking  contempt  for  the  Gov 
ernment,  which  could  be  capable  of  so  impotent  a  policy.  A 
new  commander  was  installed  by  them,  and  the  gigantic  North 


INACTIVE   POLICY   OF   CONFEDERATES.  235 

set  itself,  with  energies  only  quickened  by  its  shame,  revenge, 
and  consciousness  of  danger  just  escaped,  to  equip  more  enor 
mous  fleets  and  armies,  and  to  carry  the  scourge  of  war  to  every 
coast  and  river  of  the  South.  Jackson  had  the  mind  to  compre 
hend  the  inestimable  value  of  the  opportunity  thus  wasted,  and  the 
heart  to  feel  a  grief  commensurate  with  the  evils  it  was  destined 
to  cost  his  country.  He  knew  that  when  God's  providence 
gives  either  to  a  man  or  a  people  rare  occasion  for  securing  the 
blessing,  it  is  not  for  nought;  and  His  goodness  cannot  be 
slighted  or  misunderstood  with  impunity.  The  question  may 
be  asked,  with  scarcely  less  emphasis  in  the  affairs  of  provi 
dence  than  in  those  of  redemption,  "  How  can  ye  escape,  who 
neglect  so  great  salvation  ?  "  He  foresaw  that  the  country 
would  be  called  to  pay  the  penalty  of  this  mistake  in  future 
arduous  and  protracted  struggles.  But  his  lips  were  silent. 
He  busied  himself  as  diligently,  and,  to  outward  appearance,  as 
cheerfully,  in  the  duties  assigned  to  him,  as  though  the  policy 
of  the  campaign  had  been  his  own. 

Those  who  justified  the  inactive  policy,  affected,  indeed,  to 
treat  the  hope  that  the  Confederate  forces  might  now  occupy 
Washington,  as  fanciful.  They  urged  that  the  utter  disorgani 
zation  of  the  Yankee  army  could  not  be  immediately  known, 
and  was  not  naturally  to  be  inferred  from  losses  so  moderate  as 
theirs ;  that  the  dreary  rain  which  succeeded  the  battle  hindered 
immediate  pursuit,  and  that,  to  be  effective,  the  pursuit  of  so 
powerful  a  foe  must  be  prompt;  that  the  Commissary's  ware 
house  was  empty,  and  the  troops  must  have  marched  without 
rations ;  that  the  army,  after  its  large  increase,  had  not  adequate 
transportation  to  enable  it  to'move ;  and  that,  if  it  went  towards 
Washington,  it  could  expect  nothing  else  than  to  meet  the  un 
broken  army  of  General  Patterson,  which,  it  was  well  known, 
was  effecting  a  junction  with  that  of  McDowell.  The  reply  to 


236  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOtf. 

these  pleas  is,  that  the  military  intuitions  of  Jackson  told  him, 
before  the  battle  was  ended,  what  the  rout  and  disorganization 
of  the  enemy  would  be.  The  weaned  Confederate  soldiers  did 
not  find  the  rain  any  the  less  dreary  on  the  next  day,  because 
they  were  either  countermarched  up  and  down  Bull  Run,  or  left 
to  crouch  on  the  battle-field  in  fence-corners,  without  tents, 
instead  of  engaging  in  the  inspiring  pursuit  of  the  enemy ;  and 
it  would  have  been  well  to  begin  teaching  them,  even  for  no 
other  object,  the  lesson  they  have  since  so  abundantly  learned, 
of  marching  and  fighting  in  all  weathers.  Rations  were  not 
created  by  sitting  still,  and  the  appropriate  supply  for  the  victo 
rious  army  was  that  which  was  in  the  magazines  of  their  enemies. 
The  country  was  then  teeming  with  supplies  j  herds  of  bullocks 
were  feeding  in  the  pastures  around  Centreville,  and  the  barns  of 
the  famvvs  were  loaded  with  grain,  which  was  denied  its  usual 
outlet  to  Washington  and  Baltimore.  A  march  of  twenty-five 
miles  could  surely  have  been  accomplished  without  baggage  or 
rations,  especially  when  the  short  effort  might  lead  them  to  the 
spoils  of  a  wealthy  capital.  If  the  arrival  of  General  Patterson's 
army  was  suspected,  it  was  not  known.  At  the  most,  it  was  only 
the  army  which,  before  it  was  appalled  by  disaster,  had  so  often 
recoiled  before  the  11,000  of  General  Johnston.  How  then  could 
it  meet  40,000  Confederates  flushed  with  victory  ?  But  in  truth, 
at  the  hour  Jackson  was  piercing  the  centre  of  McDowell,  with  a 
fatal  thrust,  at  Manassas,  Patterson  was  haranguing  his  mutinous 
troops  at  Charleston,  within  a  few  miles  of  the  lines  in  which 
Johnston  had  left  him  the  Thursday  before ;  and  the  Confederate 
forces  would  have  reached  Washington  before  him.  The  recital 
of  these  numerous  obstacles,  which  were  surmised  (and  with 
probable  reason)  to  exist,  but  which  the  event  showed  did  not 
exist,  teaches  what  was  the  true  fault  of  the  Southern  comman 
ders.  They  are  not  to  be  condemned  by  history  because  they 


THE   JUST   CONCLUSION.  237 

did  not  actually  take  Washington,  but  because  they  did  not  try. 
Their  inexcusable  error  was,  that  they  were  not  adventurous 
enough  to  explore  the  extent  of  their  own  good  fortune.  It  is 
ever  the  duty  of  a  leader  of  armies  to  hope  that  obstacles  may 
be  superable,  unless  he  has  proved  them  insuperable.  It  is  early 
enough  for  him  to  arrest  his  career,  when  he  has  found  them 
actual,  and  not  merely  possible. 

The  true  solution  of  the  enigma,  how  men,  capable  of  winning 
such  a  victory,  could  prove  so  incompetent  to  improve  it,  is  pro 
bably  to  be  found  in  their  mistrust  of  their  own  irregular 
soldiery.  They  were  officers  of  the  regular  army  of  the  United 
States,  accustomed  to  prize  its  professional  accuracy,  and  to 
depreciate  the  uninstructed  militia,  and  they  were  unable  to 
understand  the  capacities  of  the  peculiar  force  which  they 
handled.  This  was  an  army  of  volunteers,  who  had  been 
drilled,  at  most,  for  eight  or  twelve  weeks,  and  were  led  by 
company-officers  who  -had  never  seen  a  battle,  nor  heard  the 
whistling  of  a  bullet.  Subordination  was  slight,  and  the  feeble 
bond  of  order  which  they  had  acquired,  although  it  sufficed  to 
give  them  on  the  parade-ground  the  semblance  of  a  gallant  army, 
was  not  as  yet  habitual  enough  to  endure  the  strain  of  battle. 
Under  the  pressure  of  either  success  or  r6pulse,  it  was  dissolved, 
and  regiments  reverted  almost  into  mobs.  This  body  was  per 
vaded  by  a  large  infusion  of  personal  heroism,  and,  even  after  its 
exact  order  was  lost,  the  major  part  of  its  m,en  continued  to  fight 
with  admirable  gallantry ;  but  their  impulse  was  personal,  and 
not  common.  In  their  tactics,  —  intelligence,  patriotism,  and 
chivalry,  supplied  the  place  of  methodical  concert  and  mutual 
dependence.  In  the  melee,  each  man  found  opportunity  to  do 
what  was  right  in  his  own  eyes,  and,  while  the  larger  number, 
the  brave  men,  fought  on  in  their  irregular  fashion,  and  won  the 
day,  the  remainder  of  poltroons  straggled  shamefully  to  the  rear. 


238  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Hence,  doubtless,  these  great  professional  soldiers  were  horrified 
when  they  saw  their  army  so  disorganized  by  its  own  success. 
They  shuddered  when  they  asked  themselves  what  would  have 
been  its  condition  in  defeat  ?  They  felt  as  though  a  victory  with 
such  an  army  was  only  a  lucky  accident ;  and  that  their  wisdom 
would  be  to  "let  well  enough  alone,"  and  tempt  the  Fates  no 
more  with  so  uncertain  an  instrument. 

But  Jackson  was  more  than  the  professional  soldier.  Leaving 
the  army,  he  had  become  the  citizen,  the  philosophic  scholar, 
the  statesman.  He  knew  both  the  vices  and  virtues  of  this 
citizen-soldiery.  He  knew  that,  penetrated  by  such  a  moral 
sentiment  as  animated  the  larger  number,  it  would  be  even  less 
disorganized  by  defeat  than  by  victory.  While  he  reprobated  the 
base  stream  of  stragglers,  and  was  as  anxious  as  any  fc>  super 
induce  upon  the  good  men  all  the  advantages  of  a  thorough  dis 
cipline,  in  addition  to  a  generous  morale,  he  knew  how  to  take 
those  thin,  irregular  lines,  decimated  by  the  laggards,  and  so  to 
launch  them  against  the  enemy  as  to  pluck  a  brilliant  triumph 
from  the  midst  of  numbers.  His  hardy  and  sober  judgment 
reminded  him  that,  if  battle  had  loosened  the  bonds  of  order 
in  our  ranks,  it  had  destroyed  them  in  those  of  our  enemies ; 
for  their  army  also  'was  a  militia,  composed,  not  of  gallant 
gentlemen  and  their  reputable  dependants,  but  of  unwarlike 
mechanics.  He  foresaw  that,  while  the  thorough  drill  would 
benefit  our  gallant,  soldiery,  relatively  it  would  advance  the 
mercenary  hordes  of  the  enemy  yet  more.  The  more  nearly 
both  were  brought  to  the  mechanical  perfections  of  a  regular 
army,  the  more  would  the  difference  between  them  be  narrowed. 
And,  therefore,  notwithstanding  the  imperfections  of  the  Con 
federate  army,  the  present  was  its  opportunity,  and  its  earliest 
blows  would  be  successful  at  least  cost  to  it. 

A  few  days  after  the  battle  of  Manassas,  General  Jackson 


HIS   CORRESPONDENCE.  239 

moved  his  brigade  to  a  pleasant  woodland,  a  mile  in  advance 
of  Centreville.  There  he  busied  himself  in  perfecting  the  dis 
cipline  of  the  troops.  After  a  time  the  Confederate  generals, 
whose  forces  had  grown  to  about  60,000  men,  pushed  their  lines 
forward  to  Munson's  and  Mason's  Hills,  within  sight  of  the  Fed 
eral  capital,  and  erected  slight  earthworks  upon  these  eminences. 
Their  object  was  to  tempt  General  M'Clellan  to  an  assault. 
But  this  leader  was  too  well  taught  by  the  disasters  of  Bull 
Run  to  risk  a  general  action.  He  occupied  the  attention  of  tlio 
Confederates  with  skirmishes  of  pickets  and  occasional  feints, 
which  required  the  advance  of  heavy  supports  to  the  front.  In 
these  alarms  the  1st  Brigade  was  always  conspicuous  for  the 
promptitude  with  which  it  appeared  at  the  threatened  point, 
and  for  its  martial  bearing.  This  season  of  comparative  quiet 
was  largely  employed  by  General  Jackson  in  religious  labors 
for  the  good  of  his  command.  His  correspondence  showed  the 
same  humility  and  preference  for  the  quiet  enjoyments  of  home 
which  characterized  him  before  he  became  famous. 

August  22d,  he  wrote  to  his  wife  :  —  "  Don't  put  any  faith  in 
(the  assertion)  there  will  be  no  more  fighting  till  October.  It 
may  not  be  till  then ;  and  God  grant  that,  if  consistent  with  His 
glory,  it  may  never  be.  Sure,  I  desire  no  more',  if  our  country's 
independence  can  be  secured  without  it.  As  I  said  before  leav 
ing  you,  so  say  I  now,  that  if  I  fight  for  my  country  it  is  from  a 
sense  of  duty,  a  hope  that,  through  the  blessing  of  Providence, 
I  may  be  enabled  to  serve,  her,  and  not  merely  because  I  prefer 
the  strife  of  battle  to  the  peaceful  enjoyments  of  home." 

September  24th,  he  says :  — "  This  is  a  beautiful  and  lovely 
morning,  beautiful  emblem  of  the  morning  of  eternity  in  heaven. 
I  greatly  enjoy  it,  after  our  cold,  chilly  weather,  which  has  made 
me  feel  doubtful  of  my  capacity,  humanly  speaking,  to  endure 
the  campaign,  should  we  remain  longer  in  tents.  But  God,  our 


240  LIFE    OP    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

God,  will  do,  and  does  all  things  well,  and  if  it  is  His  pleasure 
that  I  should  remain  in  the  field,  He  will  give  me  the  ability  to 
endure  all  its  fatigues." 

This  hope  was  fully  realized.  The  life  in  the  open  air  proved 
a  cordial  to  his  feeble  constitution.  Every  appearance  of  the 
scholastic  languor  vanished  from  1) is  face,  his  eye  grew  bright, 
and  its  vision,  so  long  enfeebled,  was  so  fully  restored  that 
thenceforward  it  endured,  by  night  and  by  day,  all  the  labors 
of  his  burdensome  correspondence,  and  the  business  of  his 
command.  His  cheek  grew  ruddy  and  his  frame  expanded,  so 
that  to  his  former  acquaintances  he  appeared  a  new  man. 

The  period  is  now  reached  when  it  is  necessary  to  narrate 
the  views  and  efforts  of  General  Jackson,  in  reference  to  his 
native  region,  Northwestern  Virginia.  The  communications  of 
all  the  region  between  the  Ohio  River  and  the  Allegliany  Moun 
tains,  are  much  more  easy  with  the  States  of  the  Northwest 
than  with  the  remainder  of  Virginia.  A  large  portion  of  the 
population  was,  moreover,  from  this  cause,  disaffected.  The 
type  of  sentiment  and  manners  prevailing  there,  was  rather  that 
of  Ohio  than  of  Virginia.  To  the  military  invasions  of  the 
enemy  it  lay  completely  open,  while  direct  access  from  the  cen 
tral  parts  of  the  Confederacy  could  only  be  had  by  a  tedious 
journey  over  mountain  roads.  The  western  border  is  washed 
by  the  Ohio  River,  which  floats  the  mammoth  steamboats  of 
Pittsburg  and  Cincinnati,  save  during  the  summer-heats.  The 
Monongahela,  a  navigable  stream,  pierces  its  northern  boundary. 
The  district  is  embraced  between  the  most  populous  and  fanati 
cal  parts  of  the  States  of  Ohio  and  Pennsylvania.  Two  rail 
roads  from  the  Ohio  eastward,  uniting  at  Grafton,  enabled  the 
Federalists  to  pour  their  troops  and  their  munitions  of  war, 
with  rapidity,  into  the  heart  of  the  country.  The  Confederate 
authorities,  on  the  contrary,  had  neither  navigable  river  nor 


MILITARY   POLICY    OF   VIRGINIA.  241 

railroad  by  which  to  transport  their  troops,  or  to  subsist  them 
there,  but  could  only  effect  this  by  a  long  wagon-road  crossing 
numerous  mountain-ridges  from  Staunton,  upon  the  Central 
Virginia  Railroad.  It  was  manifest,  therefore,  that  the  Govern 
ment  had  little  prospect  of  being  able  to  cope  with  the  Federal 
ists  for  the  occupation  of  the  country.  The  traitorous  partisans 
of  the  region,  intimidating  the  loyal  people  by  the  bayonets  of 
the  invaders,  set  up  a  usurping  government,  and  adhered  to  the 
Lincoln  dynasty.  But  the  same  difficulties  of  transportation 
would  evidently  press  the  enemy,  so  soon  as  he,  not  content 
with  the  occupation  of  Northwestern  Virginia,  sought  to  invade 
the  central  parts  of  the  State ;  for,  then,  it  would  be  the  Federal 
army  which  would  have  the  long  and  laborious  line  of  communica 
tion  to  sustain,  and  the  Confederate  force  would  be  brought  near 
its  railroad  and  its  supplies.  The  obvious  military  policy  for 
Virginia,  therefore,  was  to  make  no  attempt  to  hold  the  North 
west,  in  the  face  of  such  difficulties  j  but  to  tempt  the  enemy  to 
involve  himself  in  the  arduous  mountain-roads,  and  to  await  bis 
enfeebled  attacks  on  the  nearer  side  of  the  wilderness,  where  the 
means  of  more  rapid  concentration  would  give  the  power  to  crush 
him.  But  this  policy  was  forbidden  by  a  generous  pride,  and  an 
unwillingness  to  leave  a  loyal  population  exposed,  even  for  a  time, 
to  the  oppressions  of  a  clique  of  traitors,  backed  by  invaders. 
A  'small  army  was  sent  thither,  under  General  Garnett, 
through  vast  difficulties.  It  numbered  about  5000  men,  and,  as 
might  have  been  expected,  found  itself  confronted  by  a  force  of 
fourfold  numbers  and  resources,  under  General  M'Clellan.  On 
the  llth  of  July,  the  little  army,  indiscreetly  divided  into  two 
detachments,  was  assailed  at  Rich  Mountain.  Both  parts  were 
compelled  to  retreat  across  the  Allcghanies  with  the  loss  of  their 
baggage  and  a  number  of  prisoners,  and,  at  the  skirmish  at  Can- 
nock's  Ford,  their  unfortunate  leader  was  killed.  It  was  this 

31 


242  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

easy  triumph  which  procured  for  General  M'Clellan,  from  the 
Yankee  people,  the  title  of  "  The  Young  Napoleon,"  the  most 
complete  misnomer  by  which  the  rising  fortunes  of  a  young 
aspirant  were  ever  caricatured. 

General  Jackson  held,  that  there  was  one  plan  of  campaign  by 
which  the  difficulty  of  contesting  this  country  with  the  enemy 
might  probably  be  solved,  and,  during  the  first  year  of  the  war, 
he  was  eager  to  be  engaged  in  it.  His  scheme  embraced  two 
parts.  One  was,  the  sending  of  a  commander  into  the  north 
west,  to  rally  as  many  of  the  population  as  possible  to  the 
Confederate  cause,  and  thus  find  a  large  part  of  the  men  and 
materials  for  sustaining  the  contest,  in  the  country  itself.  The 
leader,  therefore,  must  be  one  who  was  known  to  the  people,  and 
possessed  their  confidence,  and  who  knew  how  to  conciliate  their 
peculiar  temper.  He  believed  that  nearly  all  the  more  respect 
able  people  of  that  region  were  loyal  to  their  State  and  duty ; 
and,  in  this,  events  sustained  his  opinion  5  for,  after  a  year's 
experiment,  the  most  which  the  usurping  Government  could 
assert  was,  that  among'the  forty  counties  which  they  claimed  for 
their  pretended  State,  they  had  dared  to  collect  revenues  in 
eleven  only.  And  it  has  been  shown  that,  with  a  few  exceptions, 
the  county  majorities,  polled  in  their  favor  at  elections,  were 
composed  of  the  intrusive  votes  of  the  soldiers  encamped  there, 
to  intimidate  the  people ;  while  the  true  voters,  not  being  per 
mitted  to  speak  their  real  wishes,  almost  unanimously  stayed  at 
home. 

The  other  part  of  General  Jackson's  plan  was,  to  retain,  by 
force  of  arms,  that  section  of  the  great  Baltimore  and  Ohio 
Railroad,  which  lies  on  the  territory  of  Virginia,  from  Harper's 
Ferry  westward,  and  to  employ  it  as  the  line  of  operations  for 
the  major  force  employed  in  the  northwest:  For,  he  argued, 
this  road  being  the  great  military  and  commercial  thoroughfare 


243 

connecting  the  enemy's  capital  with  the  West,  whence  he  drew 
so  many  of  his  men  and  supplies,  it  was  at  all  times  a  vital 
matter  to  us  to  deprive  him  of  it.  Next,  its  use  as  a  line  of 
operations  would  cover,  from  the  ravages  of  the  enemy,  a  most 
important  part  of  central  and  northern  Virginia,  the  counties  of 
the  lower  Valley,  and  of  the  south  branch  of  the  Potomac  —  a 
magnificent  region  teeming  with  precious  resources,  and  in 
habited,  in  the  main,  by  a  gallant  and  loyal  people.  But  the 
chief  reason  for  maintaining  this  line  was,  that  it  was  the  only 
one  by  which  it  was  practicable  for  us  to  move  men  and  mate 
rials  in  sufficient  masses,  and  with  speed  enough,  to  cope  with  the 
Federalists,  entering  the  contested  district  by  two  navigable  rivers 
and  two  railroads.  A  strong  force,  he  said,  should  be  pushed 
along  the  railroad,  so  far  west  as  to  place  itself  in  the  rear  of  the 
Federal  army,  operating  against  the  little  detachment  which  we 
so  painfully  sustained  at  the  western  side  of  the  mountains. 
This  would  compel  the  retreat  of  our  enemies,  and  make  their 
capture  probable.  The  country,  being  thus  cleared  of  their  pre 
sence,  and  reassured  against  their  return  by  the  occupation  of  the 
great  railroad,  would,  in  consequence,  revert  to  its  proper  alle 
giance,  and  by  its  resources  make  this  part  of  the  war  nearly  self- 
sustaining.  A  reference  to  the  map  will  show  that  this  scheme 
was  in  appearance  liable  to  a  capital  objection :  The  Baltimore 
and  Ohio  Railroad,  thus  made  the  line  of  operations  for  the 
Confederate  forces,  would  be  parallel  to  the  frontier  of  Penn 
sylvania,  which  the  enemy  might  at  once  make  the  base  of  their 
operations  against  us.  But  such  an  arrangement  is  likely  to  be 
fatal  to  the  party  pursuing  the  aggressive  (in  this  case  the  Con 
federates),  because  their  communications  are  ever  within  the 
reach  of  their  enemy's  blows.  Here,  however,  the  objection 
was  more  seeming  than  real.  The  true  base  from  which  the 
Federalists  must  have  operated  against  this  line  of  advance, 


244          LIFE  OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 

was  not  the  Pennsylvania!!  frontier,  but  the  Central  Pennsyl 
vania  Railroad,  parallel  thereto,  and  a  hundred  miles  distant. 
Now,  to  operate  from  that  base  against  the  Confederate  line  of 
advance,  they  would  have  had  not  railroads,  but  only  the  country 
roads  of  a  mountainous  region.  Thus  the  superior  mobility 
of  our  forces  along  their  line  of  operations  would  have  com 
pensated,  in  great  measure,  for  their  exposure  to  the  enemy's 
advance  across  it. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  war,  General  Jackson  was  anxious 
to  be  sent  to  the  Northwest.  It  was  the  land  of  his  birth  and 
his  kindred.  The  oppressi9ns  of  the  enemy  and  the  traitorous 
defection  of  a  part  of  its  people,  filled  him  with  grief  and  indig 
nation.  The  patriots  who  fled  thence  before  the  Federal  bay 
onets  and  domestic  informers,  looked  to  him  as  their  natural 
avenger.  They  knew  that  he  was  the  pride  of  his  numerous 
race  —  everywhere  stanch  in  its  loyalty  to  Virginia,  and  wield 
ing  the  wealth  and  influence  of  the  district ;  and  that  they  would 
have  secured  for  him  a  popular  support  which  no  other  com 
mander  could  have  received.  Hence,  when  General  Jackson 
was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  1st  Brigade,  in  June,  he  expressed 
to  his  wife  an  earnest  hope  that  the  Government  would  despatch 
it  to  the  Northwest,  and  the  modest  belief,  that  he  could  march 
with  it  to  the  Ohio  River.  He  declared  that  he  was  willing  to 

O 

serve  in  any  capacity  under  General  Garnett,  then  commanding 
there.  After  that  unfortunate  commander  was  killed,  and  his 
army  expelled  from  the  country,  the  Confederate  Government 
sent  out  from  Staunton  a  much  more  powerful  expedition,  under 
General  Robert  E.  Lee.  This  commander  endeavored  to 
shorten  the  arduous  line  of  communication  over  the  mountain 
roads,  by  leaving  the  Central  Virginia  Railroad,  at  a  point  forty 
miles  west  of  Staunton,  and  penetrating  the  northwest  through 
the  counties  of  Bath  and  Pochahontas  at  the  Valley  Mountain. 


HIS   REASONS.  245 

But  the  intrinsic  difficulties  of  his  line,  aggravated  by  a  season 
of  unusual  rains,  robbed  him  of  solid  success.  From  his  great 
reputation,  and  the  fine  force  entrusted  to  him,  brilliant  results 
were  expected.  In  this  hope  General  Jackson  concurred.  He 
wrote,  August  15th,  to  his  wife:  —  "General  Lee  has  recently 
gone  west,  and  I  hope  that  we  will  soon  hear  that  our  God  has 
again  crowned  our  arms  with  victory.  ...  If  General  Lee 
remains  in  the  Northwest,  I  would  like  to  go  there  and  give  my 
feeble  aid,  as  an  humble  instrument  in  the  hand  of  Providence, 
in  retrieving  the  down-trodden  loyalty  of  that  part  of  my  native 
State.  But  I  desire  to  be  wherever  those  over  me  may  decide, 
and  I  am  content  to  be  here  (Manassas).  The  success  of  my 
cause  is  the  earthly  object  near  my  heart,  and,  if  I  know  myself, 
all  that  I  am  and  have  is  at  the  service  of  my  country." 

To  his  friend,  Colonel  Bennet,  first  auditor  of  the  Common 
wealth,  he  wrote,  August  27th:  — 

"My  hopes  for  our  section  of  the  State  have  greatly  bright 
ened  since  General  Lee  has  gone  there.  Something  brilliant 
may  be  expected  in  that  region.  Should  you  ever  have  occasion 
to  ask  for  a  brigade  from  this  army  for  the  Northwest,  I  hope 
that  mine  will  be  the  one  selected.  This  of  course  is  confiden 
tial,  as  it  is  my  duty  to  serve  wherever  I  may  be  placed,  and  I 
desire  to  be  always  where  most  needed.  But  it  is  natural  for 
one's  affections  to  turn  to  the  home  of  his  boyhood  and  family." 
In  a  few  weeks,  the  unavoidable  obstacles  surrounding  General 
Lee's  line  of  operations  disclosed  the  truth,  that,  although  he 
might  check  the  enemy,  he  could  do  nothing  aggressive.  The 
second  failure  of  the  campaign,  in  hands  so  able,  only  demon 
strated  more  fully  than  before  that  General  Jackson's  was  the 
proper  conception.  He  returned  therefore  to  this  with  re 
doubled  strength  of  conviction,  and  in  the  mouth  of  September 
endeavored,  through  every  appropriate  channel,  to  infuse  his 


246  LIFE    OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

ideas  into  the  rulers  of  the  country.  While  he  did  this,  he 
strictly  charged  his  friends  to  make  no  reference  to  his  name 
or  authority,  both  because  he  would  not  be  suspected  of 
craving  any  power  or  distinction  in  a  new  field  of  enterprise, 
and  because  his  punctilious  subordination  forbade  his  even 
seeming  to  criticise  his  military  superiors.  His  plans  were  sub 
mitted  to  some  civilians,  that,  as  the  authorized  counsellors  of 
the  Government,  they  might  recommend  them  for  adoption  if  ap 
proved  by  their  judgment.  He  urged  that,  inasmuch  as  six 
precious  weeks  had  been  wasted  since  the  victory  at  Manassas, 
and  the  enemy  had  been  allowed  to  recover  from  his  panic  so 
far  as  to  render  an  attack  upon  Washington  city  hazardous, 
the  Army  of  the  Valley,  under  General  Johnston,  should  be 
again  detached  and  sent  westward  j  that  General  Beauregard 
should  be  left  near  Manassas  with  his  corps,  to  hold  the  enemy 
in  check,  supported,  if  need  be,  by  General  Lee;  who,  by  falling 
back  to  the  Central  Railroad,  could  reinforce  him  in  a  few  days ; 
that  General  Johnston  meantime  should  re-occupy  the  lower 
Valley  about  Winchester,  Harper's  Ferry,  and  Martinsburg, 
and,  making  it  his  base,  push  his  powerful  corps,  by  the  Balti 
more  and  Ohio  Railroad,  direct  to  the  Ohio  River;  and  that 
thence  he  should  cut  off  the  retreat  of  General  Rosecranz  and 
his  whole  force,  whom  General  Lee  had  drawn  far  eastward  into 
the  gorges  of  the  Alleghanies.  The  capture  of  the  larger  part 
of  the  Federal  army,  and  the  deliverance  of  the  country,  he 
thought,  could  hardly  fail  to  reward  the  prompt  execution  of 
this  project.  But  it  was  not  brought  to  the  test  of  experiment. 
The  fine  army  of  North  Virginia  expended  the  remainder  of  the 
year  in  inactivity,  neither  attempting  nor  accomplishing  any 
thing.  General  Lee  was  held  in  check,  not  by  the  enemy,  but 
by  the  mud,  and  the  Northwest  remained  in  the  clutches  of  the 
oppressor.  Whether  General  Jackson  would  have  succeeded  in 


PROMOTION  AND  NEW  COMMAND.  247 

that  difficult  region,  or  whether  Providence  was  kind  to  him  and 
his  country  in  crossing  his  desires,  and  preserving  him  for  future 
triumphs  in  more  important  fields,  must  remain  undecided. 

On  the  7th  of  October,  1861,  the  Minister  of  War  rewarded 
General  Jackson's  services  at  Manassas  with  promotion  to  the 
rank  of  Major-General  in  the  Provisional  Army.  The  spirit  in 
which  this  new  honor  was  received,  is  displayed  in  the  following 
letter  to  his  wife  :  — 

"  October  I4th,  1861.  —  It  gives  my  heart  an  additional  gratifi 
cation  to  read  a  letter  that  hasn't  travelled  on  our  holy  Sabbath. 
I  am  very  thankful  to  that  good  God  who  withholds  no  good 
thing  from  me  (though  I  am  so  utterly  unworthy  and  so  ungrate 
ful),  for  making  me  a  major-general  of  the  provisional  army  of 
the  Confederate  States.  The  commission  dates  from  October 
7th. 

"  What  I  need  is  a  more  grateful  heart  to  the  '  Giver  of  every 
good  and  perfect  gift.'  I  have  great  reason  to  be  thankful  to 
our  God  for  all  His  mercies  which  He  has  bestowed,  and  con 
tinues  to  shower  upon  me.  Our  hearts  should  overflow  with 
gratitude  to  that  God  who  has  blest  us  so  abundantly  and  over- 
abundantly.  0  that  my  life  could  be  more  devoted  to  magnify 
ing  His  holy  name  ! " 

Soon  after  came  an  order  assigning  him,  under  General  John 
ston,  to  the  Valley  District,  a  military  jurisdiction  embracing  all 
the  country  between  the  Blue  Ridge  and  the  Alleghany  Moun 
tains.  The  force  assigned  him  would  be  still  under  the  general 
supervision  of  the  Commander-in- Chief;  yet  it  constituted  a 
separate,  and,  to  a  great  degree,  an  independent  command. 
When  this  appointment  reached  him,  his  venerable  pastor  was 
present,  upon  that  visit  to  his  soldiery  which  has  been  mentioned. 
He  handed  him  the  order,  and,  when  he  had  read  it,  said  with  a 
simplicity  and  candor  which  could  not  be  mistaken :  —  "  Such  a 


248  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENEEAL   JACKSON. 

degree  of  public  confidence  and  respect  as  puts  it  in  one's  power 
to  serve  his  country,  should  be  accepted  and  prized ;  but,  apart 
from  that,  promotion  among  men  is  only  a  temptation  and  a 
trouble.  Had  this  communication  not  come  as  an  order,  I  should 
instantly  have  declined  it,  and  continued  in  command  of  my 
brave  old  Brigade." 

To  his  wife  he  wrote"  thus :  — 

"  Nov.  4th,  1861.  —  I  have  received  orders  to  proceed  to  Win 
chester.  My  trust  is  in  God  for  the  defence  of  that  country.  I 
shall  have  great  labor  to  perform,  but  through  the  blessing  of 
an  ever-kind  heavenly  Father,  I  trust  that  He  will  enable  me 
and  other  instrumentalities  to  accomplish  it.  I  trust  that  you 
feel  more  gratitude  to  God  than  pride,  or  elation  at  my  promo-- 
tion  Continue  to  pray  for  me,  that  I  may  live  to  glorify  God 
more  and  more  by  serving  Him  and  our  country." 

His  brigade  was  ordered  to  remain  with  the  Army  of  the  Poto 
mac,  and  it  became  necessary  for  him  to  part  from  his  comrades- 
in-arms.  On  the  clay  fixed  for  beginning  his  journey  to  his 
new  scene  of  labor,  he  directed  the  regiments  to  be  paraded 
in  arms,  and  rode  to  their  front  witli  his  staff.  No  cheer 
arose,  like  those  which  usually  greeted  him,  but  every  face  was 
sad.  Ranging  his  eye  along  their  ranks,  as  though  to  say  an 
individual  farewell  to  each  familiar  face,  he  addressed  them  thus : 
"  I  am  not  here  to  make  a  speech,  but  simply  to  say  farewell. 
I  first  met  you  at  Harper's  Ferry  in  the  commencement  of  this 
war,  and  I  cannot  take  leave  of  you  without  giving  expression 
to  my  admiration  of  your  conduct  from  that  day-  to  this,  whether 
on  the  march,  in-  the  bivouac,  or  the  tented  field;  or  on  the* 
bloody  plains  of  Manassas,  where  you  gained  the  well-deserved 
reputation  of  having  decided  the  fate  of  the  battle.  Throughout 
the  broad  extent  of  country  over  which  you  have  marched,  by 
your  respect  for  the  rights  and  the  property  of  citizens,  you 


PARTING   ADDRESS   TO   HIS   BRIGADE.  249 

have  shown  that  you  were  soldiers,  not  only  to  defend,  but  able 
and  willing  both  to  defend  and  protect.  You  have  already 
gained  a  brilliant  and  deservedly  high  reputation,  throughout  the 
army  of  the  whole  Confederacy,  and  I  trust,  in  the  future,  by 
your  deeds  on  the  field,  and  by  the  assistance  of  the  same  kind 
Providence  who  has  heretofore  favored  our  cause,  you  will  gain 
more  victories,  and  add  additional  lustre  to  the  reputation  you 
now  enjoy.  You  have  already  gained  a  proud  position  in  the 
future  history  of  this,  our  second  War  of  Independence.  I  shall 
look  with  great  anxiety  to  your  future  movements ;  and  I  trust, 
whenever  I  shall  hear  of  the  First  Brigade  on  the  field  of  battle, 
it  will  be  of  still  nobler  deeds  achieved,  and  higher  reputation 
won." 

Then  pausing,  as  though  unable  to  leave  his  comrades-in-arms 
without  some  warmer  and  less  official  words,  he  threw  the  rein 
upon  the  neck  of  his  horse,  and,  extending  his  arms,  exclaimed, — 

"  In  the  army  of  the  Shenandoah  you  were  the  First  Brigade ; 
in  the  army  of  the  Potomac  you  were  the  First  Brigade ;  in  the 
Second  Corps  of  the  army  you  are  the  First  Brigade ;  you  are 
the  First  Brigade  in  the  affections  of  your  general ;  and  I  hope, 
by  your  future  deeds  and  bearing,  you  will  be  handed  down  to 
posterity'  as  the  First  Brigade  m  this  our  second  War  of  Inde-. 
pendence.  Farewell." 

Thus  saying,  he  waved  his  hand,  wheeled,  and  'left  the  ground 
at  a  gallop,  followed  by  a  shout  in  which  his  brave  men  poured 
out  their  whole  hearts.  He  repaired  immediately  to  Winchester, 
and  entered  upon  his  duties  as  General  commanding  in  the  Val 
ley  district. 

This  chapter  will  be  closed  with  four  passages  from  his  cor 
respondence,  which  show  how  thoroughly  public  spirit  and  disin 
terestedness  ruled  in  his  heart.  The  new  and  enlarged  sphere 
to  which  he  was  promoted  called  for  a  re-arrangement  of  his 

32 


250  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

staff.  Application  was  made  to  him  by  dear  friends,  to  makfl 
this  the  occasion  of  advancing  persons  near  to  his  affections,  as 
well  as  to  theirs.  His  reply  was  the  following :  — 

"  My  desire,  under  the  direction  and  blessing  of  our  heavenly 
Father,  is  to  •  get  a  staff  specially  qualified  for  their  specific 
duties,  and  that  will,  under  the  blessing  of  the  Most  High, 
render  the  greatest  possible  amount  of  service  to  their  coun 
try." 

And  his  personal  friends  were  not  appointed.  To  another 
kinsman  he  replied,  by  stating  that  qualification  must  be,  with 
him,  in  every  case,  the  first  requisite ;  and  inasmuch  as  the  pros 
perity  of  the  service,  and  even  the  fate  of  a  battle,  might  depend 
on  the  fitness  of  a  staff-officer  for  his  post,  he  could  not  gratify 
personal  partialities  at  his  country's  expense.  The  habits  into 
which  he  made  most  anxious  inquiry,  were  early  rising  and 
industry  ;  and,  upon  the  whole  subject  of  seeking  promotion,  his 
views  were  expressed  with  characteristic  wisdom  and  manliness 
to  another  friend  thus  :  — 

"  Your  letter,  and  also  that  of  my  much  esteemed  friend,  Hon. 

Mr. in  behalf  of  Mr. ,  reached  me  to-day  •  and  I  hasten 

to  reply,  that  I  have  no  place  to  which,  at  present,  I  can  properly 

assign  him.  I  knew  Mr.  personally,  and  was  favorably 

impressed  by  him.  But  if  a  person  desires  office  in  these  times, 
the  best  thing  fbr  him  to  do  is  at  once  to  pitch  into  service  some 
where,  and  work  with  such  energy,  zeal,  and  success,  as  to 
impress  those  around  him  with  the  conviction  that  such  are  his 
merits,  he  must  be  advanced,  or  the  interest  of  the  public  service 

must  suffer.  If  Mr.  should  mention  the  subject  to  you 

again,  I  think  that  you  might  not  only  do  him,  but  the  country, 
good  service,  by  reading  this  part  of  my  letter  to  him.  My 
desire  is,  to  make  merit  the  basis  of  my  recommendations  and 
selections." 


CORRESPONDENCE.  251 

The  next  extract  is  upon  a  different  topic :  — 

"AW  9th,  1861.  —  I  think  that,  as  far  as  possible,  persons 
should  take  Confederate  State  bonds,  so  as  to  relieve  the  Gov 
ernment  from  any  pecuniary  pressure.  You  had  better  not  sell 
your  coupons  from  the  bonds,  as  I  understand  they  are  paid  in 
gold,  but  let  the  Confederacy  keep  the  gold.  Citizens  shquld 
not  receive  a  cent  of  gold  from  the  Government,  when  it  is  so 
scarce.  The  only  objection  to  parting  with  your  coupons,  is, 
that  if  they  are  payable  in  gold,  it  will  be  taking  just  so  much 
out  of  the  treasury,  when  it  needs  all  it  has." 

To  appreciate  the  self-denial  expressed  in  the  following  pas 
sage,  it  must  be  known  how  dear  his  home  was  to  him.  In  reply 
to  a  suggestion  that  he  should  obtain  a  furlough,  he  says :  —  "I 
can't  be  absent,  as  my  attention  is  necessary  in  preparing  rny 
troops  for  hard  fighting,  should  it  be  required ;  and  as  my  officers 
and  soldiers  are  not  permitted  to  visit  their  wives  and  families, 
I  ought  not  to  see  mine.  .It  might  make  the  troops  feel  that  they 
are  badly  treated,  and  that  I  consult  my  own  comfort,  regardless 
of  theirs.  Every  officer  and  soldier  who  is  able  to  do  duty 
ought  to  be  busily  engaged  in  military  preparation,  by  hard 
drilling,  etc.,  in  order  that,  through  the  blessing  of  God,  we  may 
be  victorious  in  the  battles  which,  in  His  all-wise  providence, 
may  await  us.  If  the  war  is  carried  on  with  vigor,  I  think, 
under  the  blessing  of  God,  it  will  not  last  long.'? 


252  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

WINTER   CAMPAIGN   IN   THE  VALLEY.       1861-62. 

THE  appointment  of  General  Jackson  to  the  command  of  a 
separate  district  under  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  consisting 
of  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  was  made  on  October  2 1st,  1861. 
On  the  4th  of  November  he  took  leave  of  his  brigade,  and  set 
out,  in  compliance  with  his  orders  from  the  Commander-in- Chief, 
for  Winchester,  by  railroad,  and  reached  that  place  on  the  same 
day.  On  his  arrival  there,  the  only  forces  subject  to  his  orders, 
in  the  whole  district,  were  three  fragmentary  brigades  of  State 
militia,  under  Brigadier- Generals  Carson,  Weem,  and  Boggs,  and 
a  few  companies  of  irregular  cavalry,  imperfectly  armed,  and 
almost  without  discipline  or  experience.  The  first  act  of  the 
General  was  to  call  out  the  remaining  militia  of  those  brigades 
from  the  adjoining  counties.  The  country  people  responded 
with  alacrity  enough  to  raise  the  aggregate,  after  a  few  weeks, 
to  3000  men.  To  the  disciplining  of  this  force  he  addressed 
himself  with  all  his  energies. 

A  brief  description  of  the  country  composing  his  district  is 
necessary  to  the  understanding  of  the  remaining  history.  The 
Great  Valley  extends  through  much  of  the  States  of  Pennsyl 
vania  and  Virginia,  and  crosses  Maryland,  at  its  narrowest 
part.  This  district  is  widest  and  most  fertile  just  where  the 
Potomac  passes  through  it,  from  its  sources  in  the  main  Allc- 
ghany  range  to  its  outlet  into  Eastern  Virginia  at  Harper's 


TOPOGRAPHY   OF   THE   DISTRICT.  253 

Ferry.  It  is  bounded  on  the  southeast  by  the  Blue  Ridge,  which 
runs,  'with  remarkable  continuity,  for  many  hundred  miles  from 
northeast  to  southwest ;  and  on  the  other  side  tLere  is  a  similar 
parallel  range,  called  the  Great  North  Mountain.  The  space 
between  the  bases  of  these  mountains  varies  from  thirty  to  fifteen 
miles  in  width,  but  it  is  by  no  means  filled  by  a  level  vale.  The 
intervening  country  is  one  of  unrivalled  picturesqueness,  variety, 
and  fertility,  whose  hills,  in  some  places,  sink  into  gentle  swells 
of  the  most  beautiful  arable  lands,  and,  in  others,  rise  into  moun 
tains,  only  inferior  to  the  great  ranges  which  bound  the  district. 
Of  these  mountains,  the  most  considerable  is  the  Masanutthin, 
or  Peaked  Mountain,  which  is  itself  a  range  of  fifty  miles  in 
length,  and  which,  beginning  twenty  miles  southwest  of  Win 
chester,  runs  parallel  to  the  Blue  Ridge,  including  between 
them,  for  that  distance,  a  separate  valley  of  the  same  character. 
This  space  is  occupied  by  the  populous  counties  of  Page  and 
Warren,  and  watered  by  the  main  stream  of  the  Shenandoah. 
It  is  only  when  the  traveller,  standing  upon  some  Peak  of  the 
Blue  Ridge  or  of  the  Great  North  Mountain,  looks  across  to  the 
other  boundary,  and,  ranging  his  eyes  longitudinally,  sees  the 
grand  barriers  extending  their  parallel  faces  to  a  vast  distance, 
and  losing  themselves  in  the  blue  horizon,  that  he  fully  com 
prehends  the  justness  of  the  name,  Valley  of  Virginia.  The 
romantic  hills  and  dales  of  the  intermediate  space  are  then,  by 
comparison,  lost  to  view,  and  the  whole  district  presents  itself  as 
a  gigantic  vale.  The  streams  which  descend  from  the  abound 
ing  ranges  of  mountains,  as  well  as  those  which  rise  between  the 
Great  North  Mountain  and  the  Alleghanies,  pass  along  and 
across  the  valley  obliquely,  until  they  gather  into  sufficient 
volume  to  force  their  way  to  the  ocean,  as  the  Potomac,  the 
James,  and  the  Roanoke.  The  outlets  from  the  Valley  on  either 
side  are  by  railroad,  or  by  turnpike  roads,  which  pass  through 


254  LIFE    OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

depressions  of  the  mountains,  called,  in  the  language  of  the 
country,  Gaps.  The  soil  is  almost  uniformly  calcareous,  and 
the  roads,  where  they  are  not  paved,  of  heavy  clay.  The  popu 
lation  at  the  beginning  of  the  war  was  dense,  industrious,  and 
loyal,  the  agriculture  was  skilful,  and  the  whole  goodly  land 
teemed  with  grain,  pasturage,  horned  cattle,  swine,  sheep,  and 
horses.  The  manufacturing  industry  of  this  region  was  also 
prosperous,  every  county  boasting  of  its  numerous  mills  or 
furnaces,  for  the  production  of  woollen  cloths,  iron  wares,  and 
other  staple  supplies  of  an  agricultural  people. 

Between  the  Great  North  Mountain  and  the  'Allegliany  is  a 
rugged  region,  more  extensive  than  the  Valley  proper,  which  is 
sometimes  included  under  that  term.  It  is  almost  filled  with 
parallel  ranges  of  mountains,  which  increase  in  altitude  as  the 
traveller  proceeds  westward,  until  he  crowns  the  parent  ridge 
itself.  But  hidden  between  these  chains  are  a  thousand  valleys 
of  unrivalled  beauty  and  fertility,  peopled  with  a  happy  and 
busy  population.  The  most  extensive  of  these  is  the  far-famed 
valley  of  the  south  branch  of  the  Potomac,  which  forms  the 
garden  of  three  counties,  Pendleton,  Hardy,  and  Hampshire. 
The  wide  meadows  which  line  this  stream  from  its  source  to  its 
mouth  are  fruitful  beyond  belief;  their  prodigal  harvests  of  hay 
and  Indian  corn,  together  with  the  sweetness  of  the  upland 
pastures  by  which  they  are  bordered,  make  them  the  paradise 
of  the  grazier.  As  Winchester  is  the  focal  point  and  metropolis 
for  the  lower  Yalley,  so  Romney,  forty  miles  northwest  of  it,  is 
the  key  to  the  valley  of  the  south  branch  (of  the  Potomac)  and 
the  capital  of  the  great  county  of  Hampshire.  The  north 
western  turnpike,  an  admirable,  paved  road,  beginning  from  the 
former  place,  passes  through  the  latter  on  its  way  to  the  Ohio 
River,  and  crosses  the  highways  which  ascend  the  valleys  of  the 
streams. 


BATTLE  OF  GREEXBRIER  RIVER.  255 

All  this  country,  to  the  Alleghany  crest,  was  included  in  Gen 
eral  Jackson's  military  district.  The  frontier,  which  he  was 
required  to  guard  against  the  enemy,  was  the  whole  line  of  the 
Potomac,  from  Harper's  Ferry  to  its  source  in  the  mountain  last 
named,  and  from  that  ridge  to  tire  place  where  the  troops  of 
General  Lee  were  posted,  after  their  ineffectual  attempt  upon 
Northwest  Virginia.  That  commander  had  been  recalled,  to  be 
employed  in  a  more  important  sphere;  and  his  troops  were  left 
along  the  line  which  he  had  occupied  under  the  command  of 
Brigadier-Generals  Henry  Jackson  and  Loring.  The  first  of 
these,  with  a  detachment  of  that  army,  had,  on  the  8th  of  October, 
repulsed  the  Federalists  with  the  aid  of  Colonel  Edward  John 
son,  in  a  well-fought  battle  upon  the  head  of  the  Greenbrier 
River,  in  Pochahontas  county.  But  the  only  fruit  of  this  victory 
which  the  Confederates  gathered,  was  an  unobstructed  retreat  to 
a  stronger  position,  upon  the  top  of  the  Alleghany  mountains : 
another  striking  evidence  of  the  soundness  of  General  Jackson's 
theory  concerning  the  campaign  in  the  Northwest.  Yet  more 
surprising  proof  was  furnished  a  few  weeks  later.  On  Decem 
ber  13th,  the  same  gallant  little  army  was  attacked  in  its  new 
position  on  the  Alleghany;  and,  under  Edward  Johnson,  now 
Brigadier- General,  the  result  was  a  brilliant  victory  over  their 
assailants.  As  soon  as  General  Jackson  heard  of  it,  he  again 
wrote,  to  urge*  that  this  force  should  be  sent  to  hi-m,  and  pre 
dicted  that,  if  it  remained  where  it  was,  it  would,  before  long, 
have  no  enemy  in  its  front,  and  find  the  foe  which  it  had  beaten, 
threatening  its  communications  by  the  way  of  the  South  Branch. 
This  was  exactly  verified.  His  advice  was  rejected ;  and  it  was 
not  many  weeks  until  the  victorious  army  was  retreating  to 
another  position,  on  the  Shenandoah  mountain,  forty  miles  to  the 
rear.  The  explanation  was,  that  the  Federalists  being  in  undis 
turbed  possession  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  were 


256  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

able  to  occupy  Hampshire  and  Hardy,  and  to  threaten  thence 
the  communications  of  the  Confederates. 

General  Jackson  had  not  reached  Winchester,  before  his  fore 
sight  of  these  results  induced  him  to  urge  upon  the  Government 
that  plan  of  campaign  which'  was  explained  in  the  last  chapter. 
Possessed  of  the  keen  appreciation  of  the  value  of  time  in  war, 
he  begrudged  the  loss  of  every  day.  On  the  route  to  Winchester, 
he  paused  at  a  station,  to  write  to  an  influential  friend  in  Rich 
mond,  asking  his  aid  to  further  his  views ;  and,  through  every 
proper  channel,  he  continued  to  press  them,  until  events  forbade 
.their  execution.  He  proposed  the  immediate  organization  of  a 
winter  campaign  in  the  Northwest,  to  be  conducted  from  Win 
chester,  by  the  way  of  the  railroad  and  northwestern  turnpike. 
He  requested  that  all  the  forces  of  Generals  Loring  and  John 
son  should  bo  hurried  to  him,  so  as  to  constitute  a  body  sufficient 
to  sustain  itself.  •  If  it  was  suggested  that  the  Federalists  might 
take  advantage  of  their  withdrawal,  to  invade  the  central  parts 
of  the  State,  by  crossing  tjie  mountains,  his  reply  was,  that  it 
would  be  so  much  the  worse  for  them.  While  they  were  march 
ing  eastward,  involving  themselves  in  those  interminable  obsta 
cles,  which  had  proved  so  disastrous  to  our  arms  there,  he  would 
be  rapidly  pouring  his  masses  westward  by  railroad  and  turn 
pike,  would  place  himself  upon  their  communications,  would 
close  behind  them,  and  would  make  their  destruction"  so  much 
the  more  certain,  the  farther  they  advanced  towards  their  im 
aginary  prize.  If  the  Confederate  Government,  he  argued, 
delayed  its  efforts  to  recover  the  Northwest,  it  would  then  find 
the  Federalists  more  firmly  seated  there;  the  loyalty  of  the 
inhabitants  would  be  more  corrupted  by  their  blandishments 
and  oppressions;  the  supplies,  which  should  feed  our  soldiers, 
would  be  consumed  by  our  enemies,  and  the  country  too  much 
exhausted  to  sustain  a  vigorous  campaign  from  its  own  re- 


REINFORCEMENTS.  257 

sources;  fortified  posts  would  be  created  where  none  now 
existed;  and,  above  all,  the  constant  development  of  the  mili 
tary  power  of  the  United  States  under  the  management  of  Gen 
eral  M'Clellan,  might  occupy  all  our  forces  elsewhere. 

His  representations  were  so  far  successful,  that  about  the 
middle  of  November,  his  old  Brigade  was  sent  to  him,  with  the 
Pendleton  battery,  now  under  the  command  of  Captain  M'Laugh- 
lin.  Early  in  December,  Colonel  William  B.  Taliaferro's  brigade 
from  the  army  of  the  Northwest,  consisting  of  the  1st  Georgia,  3d 
Arkansas,  and  23d  and  37th  Virginia  regiments,  reached  Win 
chester.  Near  the  close  of  December,  the  last  reinforcements 
arrived  from  that  army,  under  Brigadier-General  Loring,  con 
sisting  of  the  brigades  of  Colonel  William  Gilham,  and  Briga 
dier-General  S.  R.  Anderson.  The  former  of  these  brigades 
embraced  the  21st,  42 d,  and  48th  regiments  of  Virginia,  and  the 
1st  battalion  of  State  Regulars,  with  Captain  Maryc's  battery; 
the  latter,  the  1st,  7th,  and  14th  regiments  of  Tennessee,  and 
Captain  Shurmakcr's  battery.  He  now,  at  the  end  of  December, 
found  himself  in  command  of  about  eleven  thousand  men,  of 
whom  three  thousand  were  militia,  while  the  remainder  were 
the  volunteer  forces  of  the  Confederacy.  But  the  delay  in 
assembling  these  was  such,  as  nearly  to  blast  his  hopes.  He 
had  continued  to  urge  that  the  command  of  Brigadier-General1 
Edward  Johnson,  from  the  Alleghany,  should  be  sent  to  him,  or 
else  directed  to  march  northward  through  Hardy  and  Hampshire 
counties,  to  effect  a  junction  with  him  near  Romney;  but  his 
advice  was  not  adopted.  This  subtraction  from  his  expected 
means,  he  declared,  would  be  decisive  against  his  cherished, 
plan  of  penetrating  to  the  Northwest.  For,  contemplating  the 
repeated  failures  to  which  the  Confederate  cause  had  been  con 
demned  in  that  quarter  by  inadequate  means,  he  was  determined! 

33 


258  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

not  to  make  an  attempt  without  such  forces  as  would  make 
success  possible. 

Just  before  General  Jackson  came  to  the  Valley,  Romney  was 
occupied  by  a  Federal  force,  which  was  speedily  increased  to 
GOOO  men.  At  Williamsport,  and  neighboring  points,  were  as 
many  more.  Beyond  Harper's  Ferry,  General  Banks  was 
organizing  a  force  of  26,000  men,  for  the  invasion  of  the  Val 
ley.  Before  the  arrival  of  General  Loring's  command,  General 
Jackson  had  to  oppose  nearly  40,000  enemies,  with  only  4000 
men,  inclusive  of  his  undisciplined  militia;  yet,  if  this  force 
was  increased  to  so  many  as  15,000,  he  had  resolved  to  attempt 
the  audacious  enterprise  of  clearing  away  the  foes  who  hung 
around  his  own  district,  and  then  invading  another,  occupied  by 
an  army  as  strong  as  his  own. 

But  his  genius  taught  him  that  his  safety  lay  in  audacity. 
Winchester  is  the  centre  to  which  great  thoroughfares  converge, 
from  Harper's  Ferry  on  the  northeast,  from  Martinsburg  and 
Wiliiamsport  on  the  north,  and  from  Romney  on  the  northwest ; 
while  another  highway  from  the  south  branch  would  place  his 
enemies  twenty  miles  in  his  rear,  at  Strasburg.  He  said  that 
unless  Romney  and  the*  south  branch  were  held,  Winchester  was 
untenable.  It  was  true  that  his  central  position  gave  him  the 
interior  line  of  operations;  but,  to  employ  this  advantage,  it 
was  necessary  for  him  to  strike  one  of  his  adversaries  promptly. 
If  he  waited  until  they  approached  near  enough  to  co-operate, 
and  to  hem  him  in  by  their  convergent  motions,  he  would  have 
no  alternative  except  precipitate  retreat  or  surrender;  hence 
his, burning  anxiety  to  be  in  motion.  His  purpose  was  to  assail 
the  Federal  General  Kelly  at  Romney,  first,  so  as  to  secure  the 
western  side  of  his  district,  as  a  preliminary,  cither  to  his  expe 
dition  into  the  Northwest,  or,  if  that  were  surrendered,  to  his 
approaching  contest  with  General  Banks.  It  has  already  been 


WOULD   HE   HAVE   SUCCEEDED  ?  259 

indicated,  that  the  late  arrival  of  General  Loring's  brigades, 
and  the  refusal  of  the  Government  to  send  General  Edward 
Johnson'Sj  doomed  the  hopes  of  General  Jackson  to  disappoint 
ment  as  to  the  former  enterprise.  It  may  be  useless  to  specu 
late  upon  the  results  which  he  would  have  attained,  if  it  had 
been  undertaken  in  good  time.  He  never  concealed  his  belief 
that  the  attempt  was  hazardous  5  but  many  would  perhaps 
conclude  that  it  was  utterly  rash;  and,  in  the  latter  opinion,  it 
would  appear  the  War  Department  concurred.  The  facilities 
which  the  Federalists  enjoyed  for  pouring  troops  and  supplies 
into  Northwest  Virginia,  must  ever  have  rendered  its  occupa 
tion  by  a  Confederate  force,  an  arduous  task.  Had  General 
Jackson  gone  thither  with  15,000  men,  the  countless  hordes  of 
United  States  troops,  who,  a  little  later,  crushed  the  Confeder 
ates  at  Fort  Donelson,  in  spite  of  most  heroic  fighting,  might 
have  been  directed  upon  him.  If  the  skill  and  courage  with 
which  he  evaded  similar  dangers  in  the  famous  campaign  of  the 
ensuing  spring  were  forgotten,  the  conclusion  would  be  reached, 
that  in  such  an  event  his  situation  in  the  Northwest  would  be 
desperate.  But  the  issue  of  that  campaign  has  taught  the 
world,  that-there  is  no  limit  to  be  set  to  the  possibilities  which 
genius,  united  to  generous  devotion,  may  achieve.  Success 
would  have  turned  mainly  upon  the  degree  of  support  which 
the  people  of  the  Northwest  would  have  given  to  the  cause, 
when  rallied  under  their  favorite  leader.  And  these  specula 
tions  may  be  most  safely  dismissed,  with  a  thankful  acquiescence 
in  the  orderings  of  Divine  providence,  which  forbade  Jackson's 
making  the  great  experiment,  and  preserved  him  for  the  service  • 
of  his  country  on  a  still  more  important  and  glorious  field. 

About  the  middle  of  November,  General  Jackson,  busying 
himself,  while  he  awaited  his  reinforcements,  in  organizing 
his  command,  adverted  to  the  condj/ion  of  his  cavalry.  This 


-60  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

consisted  of  several  companies,  raised  in  his  district,  which  had 
no  regimental  formation.  He  found  serving  with  them  Lieut.- 
Colonel  Turner  Ashby,  and,  recognizing  in  him  a  kindred  spirit, 
he  assigned  to  him  the  chief  command.  From  that  day  to  his 
death  this  chivalrous  officer  served  his  general,  as  commander  of 
cavalry,  with  untiring  zeal  and  intelligence.  He  was  a  gentle 
man  of  Fauquier  county,  of  the  best  connexions,  of  spotless  and 
amiable  character,  devoted  to  field  sports  and  feats  of  horse 
manship,  and  known  to  be  as  modest  and  generous  as  he  was 
brave.  At  the  first  outbreak  of  the  war,  he  had  flown  to  his 
country's  service,  had  raised  a  company  of  cavalry,  had  assisted 
at  the  first  capture  of  Harper's  Ferry,  and,  during  the  summer 
campaign  of  1SG1,  had  distinguished  himself  by  his  devotion 
and  vigilance,  upon  the  outposts  of  the  army,  below  that  village. 
After  it  ceased  to  be  an  important  position  to  the  Confederates, 
he  was  transferred  to  the  Upper  Potomac.  There  occurred  the 
first  of  those  daring  exploits  which  soon  surrounded  his  name 
with  a  halo  of  romance.  A  part  of  his  command,  under  his 
beloved  brother,  Captain  Richard  Ashby,  was  assailed,  in  the 
county  of  Hampshire,  by  an  overpowering  force  of  Federal 
cavalry ;  and,  in  the  retreat  which  followed,  Captain  Ashby  was 
overtaken,  at  an  obstruction  presented  by  the  railroad  track  to 
the  career  of  his  horse,  and  was  basely  murdered,  while  pros 
trate  and  helpless  under  his  fallen  steed.  A  few  moments  after, 
Turner  Ashby,  attracted  by  the  firing,  came  up  with  a  handful 
of  fresh  horsemen,  and  the  enemy  retired.  He  found  his  brother 
mortally  wounded  and  insensible,  and,  kneeling  beside  his  body, 
'he  raised  his  sword  to  heaven,  and  made  a  sacred  vow  to  conse 
crate  his  life  afresh  to  delivering  his  country  from  the  assassin 
foe.  The  assailants  had-  retired  to  an  island  in  the  river,  covered 
with  shrubbery  and  driftwood,  and  there  stood  on  the  defensive, 
concealed  in  these  hiding-places.  Ashby  now  gathered  a  dozen 


COLONEL   ASHBY.  2G1 

men,  and,  fording  the  stream  under  a  shower  of  bullets,  dashed 
among  them,  slew  several  men  with  his  own  hand,  and  dispersed 
or  captured  the  whole  party.  From  the  day  he  paid  this  first 
sacrifice  to  the  manes  of  his  murdered  brother,  he  appeared  a 
changed  man.  More  brave  he  could  not  be ;  but  while  he  was, 
if  possible,  more  kindly,  gentle,  and  generous  to  his  associates 
than  before,  there  was  a  new  solemnity  and  earnestness  in  his 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  his  country.  He  evidently  regarded 
his  life  as  no  longer  his  own,  and  contemplated  habitually  its 
sacrifice  in  this  war.  He  was,  in  his  own  eyes,  as  a  man  already 
dead  to  the  world.  His  exposure  of  his  person  to  danger  be 
came  utterly  reckless,  and,  wherever  death  flew  thickest,  thither 
he  hastened,  as  though  he  courted  its  stroke.  Yet  his  spirit  was 
not  that  of  revenge,  but  of  high  Christian  consecration.  To 
his  enemies,  when  overpowered,  he  was  still  as  magnanimously 
forbearing,  as  he  was  terrible  in  the  combat.  Henceforward, 
his  activity,  daring,  and  seeming  immunity  from  wounds,  'filled 
the  Federal  soldiers  with  a  species  of  superstitious  dread.  At 
the  sound  of  his  well-known  yell,  and  the  shout  of  "Ashby" 
from  his  men,  they  relinquished  every  thought  of  resistance,  and 
usually  fled  without  pausing  to  count  the  odds  in  their  favor. 
To  General  Jackson  he  was  eyes  and  ears.  Ever  guarding  the 
outposts  of  his  army  with  rare  discretion,  and  sleepless  vigi 
lance,  he  detected  the  incipient  movements  of  the  enemy  j  and 
his  sobriety. of  mind,- 'which  was  equal  to  his  daring.  «ecured 
implicit  confidence  for  his  reports. 

In  December,  General  Jackson  determined  to  employ  his 
enforced  leisure  in  a  local  enterprise,  which  promised  much 
annoyance  to  the  enemy.  This  was  the  interruption  of  the 
Chesapeake  and  Ohio  Canal.  The  Potomac  not  being  navigable 
above  Washington  city,  a  great  canal  had  been  begun  from  tide 
water  below  that  point,  which  was  carried  along  the  valley  of 


262  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

the  river,  with  the  proud  design  of  threading  its  highest  tritu« 
taries,  piercing  the  Alleghany  ridge,  and  connecting  the  waters 
of  Chesapeake  Bay  with  those  of  the  Ohio.  It  was  not  com 
pleted  farther  than  Cumberland,  in  western  Maryland ;  but  this 
place  is  within  the  verge  of  the  great  coal-fields  of  that  country, 
whence  the  cities  of  Washington  and  Baltimore,  the  furnaces 
of  the  military  factories  at  the  Federal  capital,  and  many  of  their 
war-steamers,  were  supplied  with  fuel.  Besides,  this  canal  offered 
the  means  for  the  speedy  transportation  of  large  masses  of  troops 
and  supplies.  Although  the  Confederates  had  interrupted  the 
great  railroad,  by  destroying  the  bridge  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and 
the  whole  track  to  Martinsburg,  the  Federal  authorities  had 
the  unobstructed  use  of  it  from  the  Ohio  River  eastward  to 
Cumberland.  The  destruction  of  the  canal  was  therefore 
needed,  to  make  the  interruption  complete.  This  work,  ascend 
ing  the  left,  or  north  bank  of  the  Potomac,  receives  its  water 
from  that  river,  which  is  raised  to  a  sufficient  height  to  feed  it 
by  a  series  of  dams  thrown  across  its  channel.  The  most  im 
portant  of  these  was  the  one  known  as  Dam  No.  5,  built  within 
a  sharp  curve  of  the  river,  concave  towards  the  south,  north  of 
the  town  of  Martinsburg.  The  sluices  from  above  this  barrier 
filled  a  long  level  of  the  canal,  and  its  destruction  left  it  dry, 
and  useless  for  many  miles ;  while  no  force  would  be  adequate 
to  rebuild  it  amidst  the  ice  and  freezing  floods  of  winter. 

Jackson  therefore  marched  to  Martinsburg,  December  10th, 
with  a  part  of  his  militia,  his  cavalry,  and  the  Stonewall  Brig 
ade,  and  thence  made  his  dispositions  to  protect  the  working 
party,  who  were  to  attempt  the  task  of  demolition.  It  was 
necessary  to  guard  the  whole  circuit  of  the  curve  upon  which 
the  dam  was  situated,  lest  the  enemy,  who  were  in  force  on  the 
other  bank,  should  cross  behind  the  detachment.  General 
Jackson,  sending  the  militia  to  make  a  diversion  towards 


CHESAPEAKE  AND  OHIO  CANAL.  263 

Williamsport,  entered  the  peninsula,  posted  the  vete*rau  brigade 
near  the  work,  but  behind  a  hill  which  protected  them  from  the 
cannon  planted  upon  the  opposite  bank,  and,  by  night,  he  advanced 
his  working  party  to  the  brink  of  the  stream.  A  guard  of  rifle 
men  occupied  a  strong  mill,  whence  they  could  deliver  a  murder 
ous  fire  upon  any  detachment  advancing  to  a  near  attack  upon 
the  workmen,  while  these  speedily  shielded  themselves  from  the 
more  distant  sharpshooters  in  the  cavities  which  they  excavated 
in  the  doomed  structure.  Although  the  Federal  General,  Banks, 
assembled  a  large  force  on  the  other  side,  and  cannonaded  the 
Confederates,  the  work  was  continued  from  the  17th  to  the  21st 
of  December,  until  a  great  chasm  was  made,  through  which  the 
whole  current  of  the  river  flowed  down  towards  its  original 
level,  leaving  the  canal  far  above  it  drained  of  its  waters.  The 
most  essential  parts  of  the  work  were  done  by  the  gallant  men 
of  Captain  Holliday,  of  the  33d,  and  Captain  Robinson,  of  the 
27th  Virginia  regiments.  These  generous  fellows  volunteered 
to  descend,  by  night,  into  the  chilling  waters,  and  worked  under 
the  enemy's  fire,  until  the  task  was  completed.  The  amount  of 
fatigue  which  the  men  endured,  laboring,  as  they  constantly  did, 
waist-deep  in  water,  and  in  the  intense  cold  of  winter,  can  never 
be  sufficiently  appreciated.  The  only  loss,  at  the  hand  of  the 
enemy,  was  that  of  one  man  killed,  a  member  of  the  infantry 
guard  which  watched  the  work,  but  the  effects  of  such  exposure 
could  hardly  fail  to  tell  ruinously  on  the  health  and  lives  of 
many  of  those  who  executed  the  difficult  and  dangerous  task. 

General  Jackson  returned  to  Winchester  on  December  the 
25th,  and  had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  there  the  reinforcements 
which  Lave  been  already  mentioned,  under  Brigadier-General 
Loring.  It  was  settled  by  the  Government,  that  he  should 
retain  command  of  all  the  troops -which  he  had  brought  with 
him,  and  be  second'  to  General  Jackson.  The  weather  was 


264  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

most  propitious  for  the  season,  and  the  roads  were  still  firm. 
He,  therefore,  determined  to  carry  out  that  part  of  his  original 
scheme,  which  was  still  feasible,  and  to  drive  the  Federalists 
from  the  western  part  of  his  district.  At  Bath,  the  seat  of  justice 
for  Morgan  County,  a  village  forty  miles  north  of  Winchester, 
was  a  detachment  of  fifteen  hundred  Federal  soldiers,  with  two 
pieces  of  artillery,  who  grievously  tyrannized  over  the  loyal 
part  of  the  inhabitants.  At  the  village  of  Hancock,  upon  the 
opposite  side  of  the  Potomac,  was  another  detachment.  Rornney 
upon  the  south  branch,  at  a  distance  of  about  forty  miles,  was 
occupied  by  a  force  of  the  enemy  now  increased  to  at  least  ten 
thousand,  Avho  were  fortifying  themselves  there,  and  ravaging 
all  the  fertile  country  about  them.  General  Jackson  intended 
to  march  rapidly  upon  the  detachment  at  Bath  and  capture  them, 
next,  crossing  the  Potomac,  to  disperse  the  party  at  Hancock, 
and  then,  having  cleared  his  rear,  to  proceed  to  Homney.  The 
1st  day  of  January,  1862,  an  April  sun  was  shining,  and  the 
dust  was  flying  in  the  roads.  The  whole  army,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  the  necessary  detachments,  began  its  march  for  Bath, 
numbering  .about  8500  men,  with  five  batteries  of  artillery,  and 
a  few  companies  of  cavalry.  But,  before  the  day  was  ended,  a 
biting  northwester  began  to  blow,  and  this  was  succeeded  by  a 
freezing  rain  and  snow,  which  sheathed  the  roads  in  ice.  The 
hardships  of  the  troops  now  became  most  severe.  The  march 
was  pressed  forward  notwithstanding  the  inclement  weather ;  the 
soldiers  were  often  unable  to  keep  their  footing  upon  the  slippery 
mountain  sides ;  and,  along  the  column,  the  accidental  discharge 
of  muskets  frequently  announced  the  fall  of  their  owners.  The 
country  was  one  of  the  roughest,  and  the  roads  selected  were 
the  most  unfrequented,  in  order  that  the  movement  might  be 
kept  a  secret.  For  several  nights,  the  wearied  troops  bivouacked 
in  the  sleet  and  snow,  without  tents,  rations,  or  blankets,  because 


BATH   AND   ROMNEY.  265 

;iie  Baggage-train  was  unable  to  overtake  them,  and  with  the 
recklessness  of  new  soldiers,  they  had  refused,  against  orders,  to 
carry  them.     The  Stonewall  Brigade  bore  these  trials  without 
murmuring,  for  their  beloved   General   shared  them  all;   but, 
among  the  reinforcements,  the  discontent  was  excessive,  and  'was 
openly  encouraged  by  a  part  of  their  officers,  who  pronounced 
the  expedition  rash,  unreasonable,  and  out  of  season.     General 
Jackson  was  cursed  by  many  of  them,  for  this  adventure,  and 
looked  on  as  a  maniac,  for  dragging  his  command  through  such  a 
region,  and  at  such  a  season.     Many  of  the  troops,  taking  coun 
tenance  from  the  unsoldierly  complaints  of  their  leaders,  deserted 
the  ranks  under  plea  of  sickness,  and  returned  to  Winchester. 
That  town  was   soon  thronged  with  many  hundreds  of  these 
pretended  invalids,  who  roamed  the  streets  without  control,  and 
taxed  the  generous  hospitality  of  the  citizens.     Jackson,  never 
theless,  pressed  on,  and  the  third  day,  met  the  enemy's  outposts 
a  few  miles  from  Bath.     They  were  speedily  driven  in,  and  the 
army  proceeding  a  little  farther,  encamped  for  the  night.     In 
the  morning,  January  4th,  General  Jackson  made  his  disposi 
tions  to  surround  and  capture  the  enemy.     A  body  of  militia 
had  already  been  detached,  to  cross  the  mountain  behind  the 
village,  and  then  approach  it  from  the  west.     The  main  column 
was  now  pushed  along  the  direct  road,  headed  by  General  Lo- 
ring,  while  Colonels  Maury  and  Campbell  advanced  upon  the  hill 
sides,  on  the  left  and  right  respectively,  to  surround  the  village. 
General  -Jackson  complained  much  of  the  dilatory  movements 
and  repeated  halts  of  the  column.      It  seemed  as  though  the 
whole  day  would  be  consumed  in  marching  a  few  miles,  until  at 
length  the  wings  were  impelled  forward  with  more  energy,  and  a 
detachment  of  cavalry,  headed  by  Lieut.- Col.  Baylor  of  the  Gen 
eral's  staff,  dashed  into  the  town.     At  their  approach  the  enemy 
fled  without  any  resistance,  leaving  all  their  stores  and  camp 

34 


266  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

equipage  in  the  hands  of  the  victors.  General  Jackson  himself 
entered  the  place  in  advance  of  the  skirmishers '  of  the  main 
column;  but  so  sluggish  had  been  their  movements,  that  the 
enemy  was  already  out  of  sight.  Their  escape  filled  him  with 
chagrin,  and  he  instantly  urged  the  pursuit,  along  the  route  by 
which  they  had  fled. 

Bath  is  situated  three  miles  from  the  Potomac,  from  which  it 
is  separated  by  a  small  mountain-ridge.  Two  roads  lead  to  the 
river,  one  to  the  nearest  railroad  station,  that  of  Sir  John's  Run, 
and  the  other  to  Hancock, .  which  is  seated  upon  the  opposite 
bank.  By  one  of  these  two  routes  the  Federalists  must  have 
escaped,  but  so  dilatory  had  been  the  movements  of  General 
Loring's  command,  that  even  his  skirmishers  were  not  in  sight 
of  the  rear  of  the  fugitives,  when  they  disappeared.  It  was  not 
immediately  apparent,  therefore,  by  which  of  the  roads  the  main 
body  had  gone.  General  Jackson,  accordingly,  divided  his 
forces,  sending  a  part  of  his  cavalry,  and  General  Loring's 
column,  towards  Hancock;  the  second  Virginia  brigade,  under 
Colonel  Gilham;  and  Captain  Wingneld's  company  of  cavalry, 
towards  Sir  John's  Run ;  and  Colonel  Rust  with  his  and  the 
37th  Virginia  regiments,  and  two  field-pieces,  by  the  western 
road,  towards  an  important  railroad  bridge  over  the  Great 
Capon  river.  The  first  of  these  detachments  General  Jackson 
accompanied.  It  speedily  overtook  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  and 
drove  them,  with  some  loss,  into  Hancock.  The  General  then 
crowned  the  southern  bank  of  the  river  with  artillery,  and  fired 
a  few  shots  into  the  town.  This  was  in  retaliation  for  the  crime 
of  the  Federalists,  who  had  repeatedly  shelled  the  peaceful  village 
of  Shepherdstown,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  Potomac,  when  it 
was  not  used  as  a  military  position  by  the  Confederates,  and 
even  when  there  was  not  a  soldier  near  it.  Jackson  declared 
that  they  should  be  taught,  such  outrages  could  not  be  perpetrated 


HANCOCK    CANNONADED.  267 

with  impunity ;  and  he  added,  that,  while  he  was  in  command  of 
that  district,  the  lesson  was  efficacious  upon  their  dastardly 
natures.  The  4th  of  January  was  now  closed  by  night,  and  the 
troops  opposite  the  town  again  bivouacked  in  the  snow. 

Meantime,  the  second  column,  directed  towards  Sir  John's 
Run,  had  overtaken  a  considerable  detachment  of  the  enemy; 
but  although  the  ground  offered  facilities  for  turning  the  position 
on  which  they  stood  at  bay,  no  improvement  was  made  of  the 
opportunity,  and  the  Federalists  were  allowed  to  escape  unmo 
lested  over  the  river,  when  they  probably  joined  their  comrade,'* 
at  Hancock.  The  third  detachment  under  Colonel  Rust  pro 
ceeded  with  more  vigor.  When  near  the  Capon  Bridge,  they 
met  a  party  of  Federalists  guarding  that  important '  structure, 
with  whom  they  skirmished  until  night,  suffering  some  loss,  and 
inflicting  upon  the  enemy  a  more  serious  one.  The  next  morn 
ing,  January  5th,  having  been  reinforced  by  General  Loring, 
they  drove  away  the  guard,  destroyed  the  bridge  and  station- 
houses,  and  pulled  down  a  long  tract  of  the  telegraph  wires, 
besides  capturing  great  spoils.  Thus,'  both  railroad  and  tele 
graph  communication  between  the  Federal  commander  at  Rom- 
ney  and  General  Banks  below,  was  effectually  severed.  The 
Confederates  could  now  pursue  their  designs  against  the  former 
without  molestation  from  the  latter,  and  beat  each  of  them  in 
detail.  Such  were  the*  promising  results,  which  seemed  to  be 
about  to  reward  the  vigorous  use  of  the  interior  line  of  move 
ments  by  Jackson. 

But  he  did  not  propose  to  leave  the  party  at  Hancock  so  near 
his  line  of  communications.  On  the  morning  of  January  5th, 
he  summoned  the  place  to  surrender,  and  notified  the  Federal 
commander,  that  if  he  declined  to  accept  this  proposal  he  must 
remove  the  non-combatants,  as  he  proposed  to  cannonade  the 
place  in  good  earnest.  The  bearer  of  the  summons  was  the 


268 


LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 


gallant  Colonel  Ashby.    As  he  was  led,  blindfold,  up  the  streets, 
he  overheard  the   Federal    soldiers  whispering  the  one  to  the 
other,  "That  is  the  famous  Colonel  Ashby;  "  and  soon  the  sup; 
pressed  hum  of  a  crowd  told  him  that  they  were  thronging 
around,  to  catch  a  sight  of  tho  warrior,  whose  name  had  so  often 
carried  confusion  into  their  ranks..     The  Federal  commander 
refused  either  to  evacuate  the  place,  or  to  remove  the  females 
and  children,  and  claimed  that,  if  the  cannonade  took  place,  the 
guilt  of  shedding  their  blood  would  rest  upon  the  Confederates, 
-a  preposterous    and   impudent   pretension,    especially   when 
coming  from  a  party  which  has  burned  so  many  peaceful  dwell 
ings,  and  so  often  shelled  unresisting  towns  without  notice.    The 
true  motive  of  the  claim  was  obvious.      The  Yankee  thought 
that  the  humanity  of  General  Jackson  was  so  great,  it  would 
permit  him  to   skulk  safely  behind  the   skirts   of  the  women. 
But  the  Confederate  General  was  as  clear-sighted  and  vigorous 
as  he  was  humane.     After  the  time  had  elapsed  which  he  had 
announced  in  his  challenge,  he  opened  a  hot  cannonade   from 
a  score  of  guns,  and  speedily  drove  every  Federal  soldier  out 
of  the  town,  or  into  some  invisible  hiding-place.     At  the  same 
time,  a  detachment  was  busy  preparing  to  construct  a  bridge 
across  the  Potomac,  two   miles  above,  that  the   Confederates 
might  attack  them  on  the  Maryland  side ;  but  before  this  work 
^as  completed,  they  received  reinforcements  so  numerous,  that 
General  Jackson  judged  -it  inexpedient  to  risk  the  loss  which 
would   be   incurred  in  defeating   them,  when  every  man  was 
needed  for  the  attainment  of  his  great  object,  the  deliverance 
of  Romney  and  the  South  Branch.      Believing,  therefore,   that 
the  enemy  in  this  quarter  were  sufficiently  chastised  to  cause 
them  to  respect  his  further  movements,  and,  secure  in  another 
line  of  communication  with  Winchester,   far  to  the  south  of 


JACKSON   MARCHES   OX   ROMNEY.  269 

Bath,  even  if  the  latter  place  were  re-occupied  by  them,  he 
determined  to  move  westward  without  further  delay. 

Having  destroyed  all  the  spoils  which  he  lacked  means  to 
remove,  he  left  Hancock  on  January  7th,  and  returned  to  the 
main  Roinney  highway,  reaching  a  well-known  locality  called 
Unger's  Store,  the  same  evening.  On  that  day  his  advanced 
forces,  consisting  of  a  regiment  of  militia  and  a  section  of 
artillery,  had  an  unfortunate  affair  with  the  Federalists  at 
Hanging  Rock,  fifteen  miles  from  Rornney,  in  which  two  guns 
were  lost  by  the  Confederates ;  but  the  difficulties  of  the  roads 
and  season  compelled  General  Jackson  to  halt  here,  to  collect 
and  refresh  his  wearied  men,  and  to  prepare  the  horses  of  his 
artillery  and  baggage-trains  for  their  la,bors.  The  roads  over 
the  mountain-ranges  were  now  sheeted  with  firm  and  smooth 
ice,  upon  which  the  wearied  animals  could  keep  no  footing. 
Bruised,  and  sometimes  bleeding  from  their  falls,  they  had 
struggled  thus  far,  only  dragging  the  trains  a  few  miles  daily, 
by  the  most  cruel  exertions.  The  order  was  now  given  to 
replace  their  shoes  with  new  ones,  constructed  so  as  to  give 
them  a  firm  foothold  upon  the  ice.  In  this  way  the  time  was 
consumed  until  the  13th,  when  the  army  resumed  the  march, 
and  the  General,  with  the  advanced  infantry,  entered  Romney 
on  the  14th  of  January.  But  on  the  10th,  the  Federal  com 
mander  had  taken  the  alarm,  and  retreated  precipitately  to  the 
northwestern  part  of  Hampshire.  The  hope  of  making  a 
brilliant  capture  of  prisoners  was  again  disappointed.  The 
flight  of  the  enemy  was  only  witnessed  by  two  of  Ashby's 
cavalry  companies,  which  were  pressing  close  upon  their  rear. 
It  was  some  solace,  however,  to  the  conquerors,  to  find  their 
tents  standing,  with  all  their  camp  equipments,  and  their  maga 
zines  filled  with  valuable  military  stores,  which  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Confederates.  This  retreat  was  an  emphatic 


LIFE    OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

testimony  to  the  dread  which  the  vigor  of  Jackson  already 
inspired  in  his  enemies.  With  a  force  larger  than  -his  own, 
they  feared  to  meet  him  in  a  most  defensible  position,  which 
they  had  selected  and  entrenched  at  their  leisure.  When  he  was 
yet  more  than  a  day's  march  distant,  they  fled  in  such  panic  as 
to  leave  behind  them  the  larger  part  of  their  equipage ! 

But  cowardice  like  this  was  the  natural  sequel  to  the  barbari 
ties  by  which  they  had  disgraced  the  name  of  soldiers.  As  soon 
as  the  Confederates  passed  Hanging  Rock,  they  began  to  see 
marks  of  desolation,  then  new,  but  now,  alas !  familiar  to  their 
eyes.  Nearly  every  dwelling,  mill,  and  factory,  between  that 
place  and  Romney,  was  consumed ;  the  tanneries  were  destroyed, 
and  the  unfinished  hides  slit  into  ribbons;  the  roadside  was 
strewed  with  the  carcasses  of  niilk-kine,  oxen,  and  other  domestic 
animals,  shot  down  in  mere  wantonness.  As  they  came  in 
view  of  the  town,  lately  smiling  in  the  midst  of  rural  beauty, 
scarcely  anything  appeared,  by  which  it  could  be  recognized  by 
its  own  children,  save  the  everlasting  hills  which  surround  it. 
Gardens,  orchards,  and  out-buildings,  with  their  enclosures,  were 
swept  away ;  the  lawns  were  trampled  by  cavalry  horses  into 
mire ;  many  of  the  dwellings  were  converted  into  stables,  and 
the  blinds  and  wainscot  torn  down  for  fuel ;  and  every  church, 
save  one,  which  the  Federal  commander  reserved  for  the  pious 
uses  of  his  own  chaplains,  was  foully  desecrated.  And  these 
outrages  had  no  pretext,  for  the  despoilers  had  found  Romney 
a  defenceless  town,  and  had  entered  it  at  their  leisure,  without 
resistance.  Their  crimes  are  detailed  here,  not  because  the 
fate  of  this  once  charming  village  has  been  peculiar  among  the 
towns  cursed  by  Federal  occupation.  If  every  such  instance, 
which  has  been  added  in  the  progress  of  the  war,  were  detailed 
with  a  similar  truthful  particularity,  the  narrative  would  only 
be  extended,  and  marked  with  a  dreary  and  repulsive  monotony. 


FEDERAL  EAVAGES  REPROBATED  BY  JACKSON.      271 

But  it  is  just,  that  this  beginning  of  sorrows  should  be  fixed  in 
history,  for  the  everlasting  infamy  of  the  Federals,  and  as  an 
example  of  the  never-to-be-forgotten  acts  of  barbarity  which  the 
Southern  people  have  endured  at  their  hands.  Let  the  solemn 
testimony  of  Jackson  against  the  perpetrators  stand  recorded, 
as  long  as  his  great  name  is  revered  among  men.  His  official 
report  of  the  campaign  is  closed  with  these  words  :  —  "I  do  not 
feel  at  liberty  to  close  this  report  without  alluding  to  the  con 
duct  of  the  reprobate  Federal  comnTanders,  who,  in  Hampshire 
county,  have  not  only  burned  valuable  mill-property,  but  also 
many  private  houses.  Their  track  from  Romney  to  Hanging 
Rock,  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles,  was  one  of  desolation.  The 
number  of  dead  animals  lying  along  the  roadside,  where  they 
had  been  shot  by  the  enemy,  exemplified  the  spirit  of  that  part 
of  the  Northern  army." 

On  the  16th  of  January,  the  whole  Confederate  army  was 
again  assembled  near  Romney.  It  was  ascertained  that  the 
retreating  force  had  gone  to  the  neighborhood  of  Cumberland, 
in  Maryland,  a  town  on  the  north  side  of  the  Potomac,  and 
opposite  to  the  northwestern  border  of  Hampshire  county. 
Three  important .  railroad  bridges  required  their  oversight  in 
that  region.  One  of  these  crossed  Patterson's  Creek,  near  its 
entrance  into  the  river.  A  little  west  of  this  spot,  the  railroad, 
which  pursues  the  southern  bank  for  more  than  fifty  miles, 
crosses  to  the  other  side,  and  continues  upon  the  northern 
margin  to  Cumberland ;  above  which  it  returns  to  the  soil  of 
Virginia.  Two  massive  and  costly  bridges  span  the  river  at 
these  crossings.  By  destroying  these  bridges,  communication 
between  the  Federalists  at  Cumberland,  and  the  army  of  Gen 
eral  Banks  in  the  lower  Valley,  would  be  more  effectually 
severed.  But  more  than  this :  since  the  force  which  had  invaded 
Hampshire  drew  its  supplies  from*  the  west  by  the  railroad, 


272  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

these  breaches  in  its  continuity  would  restrict  their  future  opera 
tions  to  the  eastward,  inasmuch  as  they  would  entail  upon  them, 
as  they  advanced,  a  continually  lengthening  line  of  transportation 
by  wagons.  On  the  arrival  of  the  main  body  of  his  troops, 
General  Jackson  instantly  prepared  to  press  onwa/d  to  New 
Creek.  This  stream,  flowing  northward,  enters  the  Potomac  at 
the  western  extremity  of  Hampshire  county,  and  above  Cumber 
land;  but  in  consequence  of  its  situation  upon  the  apex  of  a 
great  angle  of  the  river,  the  road  which  conducts  to  that  town 
from  Romncy  is  much  longer  than  the  one  leading  to  the  mouth 
of  New  Creek.  He  purposed,  therefore,  to  proceed  to  the 
latter  spot,  and,  placing  himself  above  the  enemy,  to  destroy 
the  bridge  across  the  Potomac,  above  Cumberland,  first,  thus 
insulating  them  from  their  western  base.  He  selected  the  Stone 
wall  Brigade,  and  that  of  Colonel  Taliaferro,  from  the  army  of 
General  Loring,  to  perform  this  service  under  his  own  eye ;  but 
when  he  was  ready  to  march,  he  discovered  that  the '  discontent 
and  disorganization  had  proceeded  so  far  in  the  latter  brigade, 
that  they  were  not  to  be  trusted  for  so  responsible  a  service. 
With  deep  mortification  and  reluctance,  he  therefore  relinquished 
further  aggressive  movements,  and  prepared. to  defend  what  he 
had  already  won ;  and  this,  although  less  than  he  believed  a 
more  efficient  army  would  have  realized  for  him,  was  by  no 
means  little.  In  sixteen  days,  he  had  driven  the  enemy  out  of 
his  whole  district,  except  a  few  miles  which  they  occupied  at  its 
extreme  corner ;  had  liberated  three  counties  from  their  tyranny, 
securing  for  the  Confederate  cause  their  riches  of  corn  and  cattle ; 
had  rendered  the  railroad  useless  to  the  enemy  for  a  hundred 
miles ;  and  had  captured  stores  almost  equal  to  the  equipment 
of  an  army  like  his  own.  On  the  first  day  of  January,  scarcely 
a  man  in  those  counties,  loyal  to  his  State,  could  remain  at  his 
home,  without  danger  of  persecution  or  arrest.  The  dominion 


HIS   COMMAND   IN   WINTER   QUARTERS.  273 

of  law  and  peace  was  now  restored  to  all  the  citizens.  All  this 
had  been  accomplished  with  a  loss  of  four  men  killed,  and 
twenty-eight  wounded. 

General  Jackson  now  proceeded  to  place  the  command  of 
General  Loring  in  winter  quarters,  near  Romney,  and  to  canton 
Boggs'  brigade  of  militia  along  the  south  branch,  from  that  town 
to  Moorefield,  with  three  companies  of  cavalry  for  duty  upon  the 
outposts.  The  remainder  of  the  cavalry  and  militia  returned  to 
Bath,  or  to  the  Valley,  to  guard  its  frontier  j  and  the  Stonewall 
Brigade  was  placed  in  winter  quarters  as  a  reserve,  near  Win 
chester.  Having  begun  these  dispositions,  General  Jackson 
returned  to  the  latter  place  on  the  24th  of  January.  He  was 
uneasy  lest  General  Banks  should  initiate  some  movements  in 
his  absence.  General  Loring  was  left  in  command  at  Romney, 
with  his  tlirce  brigades,  and  thirteen  pieces  of  artillery.  The 
militia  force  upon  his  left  placed  him  in  communication  with  the 
army  of  General  Edward  Johnson,  upon  the  Allcghany  Moun 
tain  ;  for  a  forced  march  of  three  days  would  have  brought  those 
troops  to  Moorefield.  At  Winchester,  forty  miles  from  Romney, 
was  the  Stonewall  Brigade,  ready  to  launch  itself  from  its  central 
position  upon  any  point  of  the  circumference  which  was  assailed, 
and  it  was  to  be  immediately  connected  with  General  Loring's 
forces  by  a  new  line  of  telegraph.  Romney  itself  offers  an  ex 
ceedingly  defensible  position.  It  is  situated  in  the  Valley  of  the 
south  branch,  twenty  miles  from  the  Potomac,  and  it  could  be 
approached,  from  the  direction  of  the  enemy,  only  by  two  roads. 
Of  these,  one  ascends  the  valley  of  the  river,  and  the  other  ' 
crosses  the  mountain-ridge  separating  it  from  the  vale  of  Patter 
son's  Creek  by  a  narrow  defile.  Both  these  routes  pass  through 
gorges  in  approaching  the  town,  where  the  sides  are  utterly  im 
practicable  for  artillery,  and  a  regiment  might  hold  a  host  at  bay. 
East  of  Romney  lies  a  low  mountain,  not  commanded  from  any 

35 


274  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

other  height,  but  commanding  the  town  completely,  as  well  as  the 
highway  to  Winchester.  The  General  who  knew  how  to  use 
these  advantages,  might  reasonably  count  on  defending  himself 
against  threefold  odds,  long  enough  to  receive  succor  from  the 
latter  place.  Finally,  the  loyal  farmers  of  the  south  branch 
offered,  from  their  magnificent  plantations,  abundant  supplies  for 
the  whole  winter ;  or,  if  these  failed,  the  way  was  open,  by  a  drive 
of  twenty-five  miles,  to  the  broad  fields  and  teeming  granaries 
of  the  Great  Valley.  General  Jackson  designed  that  the 
troops,  after  the  construction  of  their  winter  quarters,  should  at 
once  strengthen  their  position  by  entrenchments;  and,  to  this 
end,  he  urgently  requested  that  an  able  engineer  should  be  sent 
to  him.  • 

Upon  his  return  to  Winchester,  he  found  the  country  full  of 
debate  and  difference  concerning  his  movements.  No  one  pre 
sumed  to  dispute  his  courage  and  devotion,  and  many  had 
perspicacity  enough  to  perceive,  in  his  administration,  the 
promise  of  a  great  commander.  But  the  larger  number  pro 
fessed  to  depreciate  his  capacity,  and  not  a  few  declared 
that  he  was  manifestly  mad.  They  said  that  the  man  had 
a  personal  disregard  of  danger,  a  hardihood  of  temper,  and  a 
stubbornness,  which  made  him  a  good  fighter,  where  he  was 
guided  by  a  wiser  head;  that  he  was  competent  to  lead  a 
brigade  well  on  the  parade  ground,  or  the  battle-field,  but  had 
no  capacity  adequate  to  the  management  of  a  separate  com 
mand,  and  an  extensive  district;  that  his  headstrong  and 
unreasoning  zeal,  with  his  restless  thirst  for  distinction,  thrust 
him  into  enterprises  which  he  lacked  discretion  to  conduct  to  a 
prosperous  issue,  and  that  it  was  only  good  fortune,  or  the 
better  judgment  of  his  reluctant  subordinates,  in  lagging  behind 
his  rash  intentions,  which  saved  his  army  from  a  catastrophe. 
His  wintry  march,  with  the  hardships  of  his  men,  exaggerated 


JACKSON'S  ABILITY  CRITICISED.  275 

ID  every  form  by  the  interested  falsehoods  of  the  stragglers, 
was  denounced  as  inhuman.  They  forgot  that  the  unreasonable 
period  to  which  the  expedition  was  delayed  was  the  fault  of 
others,  and  was  deplored  and  condemned  by  him  more  than  by 
any  one  else.  They  refused  to  consider  that  he  had  shared  all 
the  hardships  of  the  freezing  sleet,  and  snowy  bivouac,  and  the 
cold  vigils,  with  his  men,  and  had  endured  them  cheerfully. 
They  were  ignorant  of  the  careful  and  able  arrangements  which 
he  had  made  for  their  comfort.  So  anxious  was  he  that  every 
supply  for  their  wants  should  accompany  them,  that  when  his 
chief  commissary  was  consulting  him  as  to  the  selection  of  the 
rations  to  be  transported  behind  the  army,  and  proposed  to 
take  no  rice  along,  inasmuch  as  it  was  a  species  of  food  seldom 
preferred  by  the  troops,  he  dissented,  and  ordered  several 
tierces  to  be  carried,  saying  that  his  soldiers  must  lack  for 
nothing  which  they  were  accustomed  to  enjoy,  so  long  as  it  was 
practicable  to  furnish  it.  He  was  also  charged  by  his  critics 
with  being  partial  to  his  old  brigade,  Jackson's  pet  lambs,  as 
they  were  snecringly  called ;  it  was  said  that  he  kept  them  in 
the  rear,  while  other  troops  were  constantly  thrust  into  danger  ; 
and  that  now,  while  the  command  of  General  Loring  was  left 
in  mid-winter  in  an  alpine  region,  almost  within  the  jaws  of  a 
powerful  enemy,  these  favored  regiments  were  brought  back  to 
the  comforts  and  hospitalities  of  the  town,  whereas,  in  truth, 
while  the  forces  in  Romney  were  ordered  into  huts,  this  brigade 
was  three  miles  below  Winchester,  in  tents,  and  under  the  most 
rigid  discipline.  And  what  would  have  been  the  outcry  of  the 
objectors  had  General  Jackson  left  the  old  brigade  with  General 
Loring,  and  brought  away  a  part  of  his  troops,  which  had  been 
assured  to  him  by  special  pledge  of  the  Government?  His 
secrecy,  which  was  absolute  as  that  of  the  grave,  piqued  the 


276  LiJb'U   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

curiosity  and  self-importance  of  these  cavillers.  But  had  he 
condescended  to  explain,  they  would  not  have  been  able  to 
comprehend  his  policy.  Necessities  which  were  plain  in 
the  future  to  his  prophetic  eye,  they  could  not  see.  His 
far-reaching  combinations  were  beyond  their  grasp;  hence, 
to  their  imperfect  view,  the  movements,  which  are  now  recog 
nized  as  the  promptings  of  a  profound  and  original  genius, 
appeared  to  be  the  erratic  spasms  of  rashness.  And  truth 
requires  the  statement,  that  not  a  few  of  his  subordinates  so  far 
forgot  the  proprieties  of  their  honorable  profession,  as  to  echo 
these  criticisms  and  lend  them  all  their  credit.  Especially  were 
such  persons  found  among  those  who  had  lately  come  under  his 
command.  They  were  unaccustomed  to  a  military  regimen  so 
•energetic  as  his.  For  while  he  was,  personally,  the  most  modest 
of  men,  officially,  he  was  the  most  exacting  of  commanders; 
and  his  purpose  to  enforce  a  thorough  performance  of  duty, 
and  his  stern  disapprobation  of  remissness  and  self-indulgence, 
were  veiled  by  no  affectations  of  politeness.  Hence,  those  who 
came  to  serve  near  his  person,  if  they  were  not  wholly  like- 
niinded  with  himself,  usually  underwent,  at  first,  a  sort  of 
breaking  in,  accompanied  with  no  little  chafing  to  restive  spirits. 
The  expedition  to  Romney  was,  to  these  officers,  just  such  an 
apprenticeship  to  Jackson's  method  of  making  war.  All  this 
was  fully  known  to  him;  but  while  he  keenly  felt  its  injustice, 
he  disdained  to  resent  it,  or  to  condescend  to  any  explanation 
of  his  policy. 

On  the  31st  of  January,  he  was  astounded  by  the  receipt  of 
the  following  order,  by  telegraph,  from  the  Secretary  of  War : 
—  "  Our  news  indicates  that  a  movement  is  making  to  cut  off 
General  Loring's  command;  order  him  back  to  Winchester 
immediately."  The  explanation  was,  that  a  number  of  officers 


TROOPS  RECALLED   FROM  ROMNEY.  277 

from  that  command,  as  soon  as  it  was  ordered  into  winter 
quarters,  had  obtained  furloughs  and  repaired  to  Richmond, 
where  they  busily  filled  the  ears  of  the  public  and  the  Govern 
ment  with  complaints  of  the  exposed  and  hazardous  position 
assigned  them,  and  the  rashness  and  severity  of  General 
Jackson's  rule.  A  petition  for  the  recall  of  the  troops  was 
actually  signed  among  them,  and  the  General  complained,  with 
justice,  that  it  was  not  more  positively  discountenanced  by  their 
commander.  It  filled  him  with  indignation,  to  see  men  bearing 
their  country's  commission,  assigning  the  presence  of  danger  as 
the  ground  of  their  complaints,  as  though  it  were  not  a  soldier's 
profession  to  brave  danger;  and  when  the  withering  rejoinder 
was  at  hand,  that,  if  indeed  the  men  intrusted  to  their  care  were 
in  such  peril,  then  it  was  no  time  for  a  gallant  officer  to  be 
wasting  his  days  on  a  furlough,  amidst  the  luxuries  and 
cabals  of  a  far-distant  capital.  The  demand  for  the  recall 
of  the  troops,  without  reference  to  the  commander  of  the 
district,  directly  impugned  his  vigilance  and  good  judgment. 
Yet  the  Secretary  of  War,  misguided  by  the  urgency  of 
the  discontented  officers,  gave  the  peremptory  order,  without 
consultation  either  with  General  Jackson,  or  General  Joseph  E. 
Johnston,  the  Commandcr-in- Chief  of  the  whole  department. 
The  injury  thus  done  to  the  authority  and  self-respect  of 
both  these  officers  is  too  obvious  to  need  illustration.  Of  the 
personal  clement  of  wrong,  Jackson  seemed  to  feel  little,  and 
he  said  nothing.  But,  considering  his  usefulness  in  his  District 
at  an  end  under  such  a  mode  of  administration,  he  instantly 
determined  to  leave  it.  The  reply  which  he  sent  to  the  War 
department  is  so  good  an  example  of  military  subordination, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  of  manly  independence,  that  it  should 
be  repeated. 


278  LIFE    OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

"  HEAD-QUARTERS,  VALLEY  DISTRICT, 

"Hon.  J.  P.  BENJAMIN,  January  31  st,  1862. 

Sec.  of  War. 

"SiR, —  Your  order  requiring  me  to  direct  General  Loring 
to  return  with  his  command  to  Winchester,  immediately,  has 
been  received,  and  promptly  complied  with. 

"  With  such  interference  in  my  command,  I  cannot  expect  to 
be  of  much  service  in  the  field,  and  accordingly  respectfully 
request  to  be  ordered  to  report  for  duty  to  the  Superintendent 
of  the  Virginia  Military  Institute,  at  Lexington;  as  has  been 
done  in  the  case  of  other  professors.  Should  this  application 
not  be  granted,  I  respectfully  request  that  the  President  will 
accept  my  resignation  from  the  Army.  —  Respectfully,  etc.,  your 
obed.  serv., 

"  T.  J.  JACKSON." 

This  conditional  resignation  he  forwarded  through  the  ap 
pointed  channel,  the  head-quarters  of  his  Commander-in- Chief. 
At  the  same  time,  to  make  one  more  effort  for  preventing  the 
injury,  he  wrote  requesting  that  General  Johnston  would  coun-' 
termand  the  order  for  the  retreat.  To  his  adjutant  he  said, 
li  The  Secretary  of  War  stated,  in  the  order  requiring  General 
Loring's  command  to  fall  back  to  this  place  immediately,  that  he 
had  been  informed  the  command  was  in  danger  of  being  cut  off. 
Such  danger,  I  am  well  satisfied,  does  not  exist,  nor  did  it,  in  my 
opinion,  exist  at  the  time  the  order  was  given ;  and  I  therefore 
respectfully  recommend  that  the  order  be  countermanded,  and 
that  General  Loring  be  required  to  return  with  his  command  to 
the  neighborhood  of  Romncy."  But  the  Commander-in- Chief, 
although  concurring  in  his  opinions  of  the  campaign,  did  not 
think  it  best  to  assume  the  responsibility  of  giving  the  order; 
and  all  the  troops  returned  to  the  vicinity  of  Winchester. 
General  Johnston  detained  the  resignation  for  a  time,  and 


JACKSON   RESIGNS.  279 

immediately  wrote  to  General  Jackson,  in  terms  alike  honorable 
to  his  own  magnanimity,  and  to  the  reputation  of  the  latter. 
Descending  from  the  position  of  his  commander  to  that  of  a 
friend  and  brothcr-in-arms,  he  declared  his  full  approval  of  his 
disposition  of  the  forces,  and  his  belief  that  the  order  of  which 
he  complained  was  injurious  to  the  country,  and  to  his  official 
rights ;  yet,  expressing  an  exalted  appreciation  of  his  value  to 
the  cause,  he  besought  him  to  waive  every  personal  interest, 
to  h6ld  even  his  just  rights  in  abeyance,  and  to  sacrifice  every 
thing  for  his  native  land. 

The  news  of  his  resignation  aroused  a  vivid  excitement  in  the 
army,  the  capital,  and  the  State  at  large,  which  showed  that,  not 
withstanding  the  criticisms  of  his  enemies,  he  had  gained  a  firm 
hold  upon  the  affections  of  his  countrymen.  Their  sympathies 
were  warmly  with  him  against  the  Government.  They  were 
outraged,  that  the  only  army  which  had  marched,  and  which  had 
won  anything  from  the  enemy,  should  be  thus  arrested.  Indeed 
the  decision  and  dignity  of  his  attitude  silenced  at  once  the  voices 
of  the  fault-finders;  and  they  seemed  to  concur  in  the  general 
feeling  of  the  people  of  his  district,  which  regarded  him  as  their 
bulwark  and  deliverer.  He  was  besieged  with  solicitations 
from  soldiers,  citizens,  and  clergymen,  far  and  near,  appealing 
to  his  patriotism,  to  subordinate  his  sense  of  injustice  to  the 
public  good,  and  assuring  him  that,  with  his  resignation,  the 
hopes  of  the  people  would  sink.  The  Governor  of  the  State, 
besides  writing  to  urge  his  continuance  in  the  service,  sent  a 
friend  of  the  greatest  weight  in  the  Commonwealth  to  expostu 
late  in  person  against  his  intended  retirement.  To  all  these 
General  Jackson  made  the  same  reply.  To  the  Governor,  he 
had  tersely  stated  the  grounds  of  his  decision  in  the  following 
words :  —  "  The  order  was  given  without  consulting  me ;  it  is 
abandoning  to  the  enemy  what  has  cost  much  preparation, 


280  LIFE    OP    LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

expense,  and  exposure  to  secure ;  it  is  in  direct  conflict  with  my 
military  plans;    it  implies  a  want  of  confidence  in  my  capacity 
to  judge  when  General  Loring's  troops  should  fall  back;  and  it 
is  an  attempt  to  control  military  operations  in  detail,  from  the 
Secretary's  dc.sk  at  a  distance."     To  his  ambassador,  he  now 
added,  that  he  had  no  personal  pique  to  satisfy  j  for,  however 
he  might  feel  at  another  time,  that  he  himself  was  wronged,  the 
hour  of  his  country's  extremity  was  no  occasion  to  weigh  private 
grievances.     Neither  had  he  any  complaint  to  lodge  against  his 
superior,  the  Secretary  of  War;  but,  presuming  that  he  was  a 
considerate  and  firm  man,  he  must  infer  that  the  order  given  in 
this  case  was  an  example  of  his  intended  system  of  manage 
ment.     And,  then,  he  was  satisfied  that  he  could  not  hope  to 
serve  his  country  usefully  or  successfully  under  such  a  system. 
But  it  was  the  rule  of  his  life  never  to  hold  a  position  where  he 
could  not  be  useful ;    his  conscience  forbade  it.     He  had  not 
sought  command  because  it  was  sweet  to  him ;  he  had  no  ambi 
tion  to  gratify;  the  soldier's  stormy  career  had  no  allurements 
for  him;  and  nothing  on  earth,  save  the  hope  of  being  useful  to 
his   injured   country,  had   ever  persuaded  him    to    forego    the 
happiness    of    a    beloved    home,   and  a  congenial    occupation, 
for   the    daily    martyrdom    of   his    present    cares.     Now  that 
this  hope  was  extinguished,  he  felt  that  the  voice  of  duty,  which 
alone  had  driven  him  out  from  his  happy  privacy,  not  only  per 
mitted,  but  commanded  his  return  to  it.     It  was  answered  that 
he  should  be  willing  to  make  sacrifices  to  serve  his  countrv,  in 
her  hour  of  need.     "Sacrifices!"  he  exclaimed;    "have  I  not 
made  them  ?     What  is  my  life  here  but  a  daily  sacrifice  ?     Nor 
shall  I  ever  withhold  sacrifices  for  my  country,  where  they  will 
avail  anything      I  intend  to  serve  her,  anywhere,  in  any  way  in 
which  I  am  permitted  to  do  it  with  effect,  even  if  it  be  as  a  private 
soldier.     But  if  this  method  of  making  war  is  to  prevail,  which 


GOVERNOR   OF   VIRGINIA  RECALLS   HIS   RESIGNATION.         281 

they  seek  to  establish  in  my  case,  the  country  is  ruined.  My 
duty  to  her  requires  that  I  shall  utter  my  protest  against  it  in 
the  most  energetic  form  in  my  power  j  and  that  is,  to  resign." 
And  then,  traversing  the  floor  of  bis  chamber  with 'rapid  strides, 
he  burst  into  an  impetuous  torrent  of  speech,  in  which  lie  detailed 
his  comprehensive  projects  with  a  Napoleonic  fire  and  breadth 
of  view ;  his  obstacles,  created  by  the  reluctance  and  incompeten- 
cy  of  some,  with  whom  he  had  been  required  to  co-operate ;  his 
hardships,  and  the  heroic  spirit  of  his  troops ;  the  brilliant  suc 
cess  with  which  Providence  had  crowned  his  first  steps,  and  the 
cruel  disappointment  which  dashed  the  fruit  of  all  his  labors. 
For  a  long  time  he  was  'inexorable ;  but  at  last,  when  he  was 
told  that  the  Governor  had,  in  the  name  of  Virginia,  withdrawn 
his  resignation  from  the  files  of  the  War  Department,  and  re 
quested  that  action  should  be  suspended  upon  it  until  an  attempt 
was  made  to  remove  his  grounds  of  difficulty,  he  consented  to 
acquiesce  in  this  arrangement. 

In  a  few  days  he  received  the  assurance,  that  it  had  never 
been  the  purpose  of  the  Government  to  introduce  the  obnoxious 
system  against  which  he  protested.  Accepting  this  as  a  suf 
ficient  guarantee  that  his  command  would  not  hereafter  be 
subjected  to  such  a  system  of  interference,  he  quietly  left  his 
resignation  in  the  hands  of  the  chief  magistrate  of  the  State, 
and  resumed  his  tasks. 

In  this  transaction,  General  Jackson  gained  one  of  his  most 
important  victories  for  the  Confederate  States.  Had  the  system 
of  encouragement  to  the  insubordination  of  inferiors,  and  of 
interference  with  the  responsibilities  of  commanders  in  the  field, 
which  was  initiated  in  his  case,  become  established,  military  suc 
cess  could  only  have  been  won  by  accident.  By  his  firmness, 
the  evil  usage  was  arrested,  and  a  lesson  impressed  both  upon 
the  government  and  the  public  opinion  of  the  country,  which 

36 


282  LIFE   OF    LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

warrants  that  it  will  not  soon  be  revived.  Whether  lie  had 
any  expectation  of  this  result,  when  he  demanded  a  release 
from  the  service,  it  is  useless  to  surmise :  if  he  had,  his  sound 
judgment  tatfght  him  that  the  way  to  secure  this  issue  was 
to  seem  not  to  expect  it,  but  to  offer  an  explicit  resignation, 
and  to  act  as  though  he  anticipated  nothing  else  than  its  cer 
tain  acceptance. 

The  one  instance  in  which  he  betrayed  the  emotions  which 
were  aroused  by  the  affair,  has  been  related.  In  no  other  case 
did  he  show  a  shade  of  feeling,  and  the  grandest  impression 
which  the  people  about  him  ever  received  of  the  greatness  of 
his  moral  nature,  was  that  made  by  his  demeanor  under  this 
trial.  He  uttered  no  complaint  against  his  detractors  or  his 
superiors,  and  calmly  refused  to  listen  to  those  who  endeavored, 
in  that  form,  to  express  their  sympathy  with  his  wrong.  While 
he  thanked  them  for  their  partial  estimate  of  his  value  to  the 
country,  he  exhorted  them,  for  his  sake,  not  to  relax  anything  of 
their  own  zeal ;  and  he  showed  the  same  care  and  diligence  in 
preparing  everything  for  the  advantage  of  his  unknown  suc 
cessor,  as  though  he  had  expected  to  continue  in  permanent 
command  of  the  district.  Concerning  the  operations  of  his 
army  he  had  always  been  obstinately  silent,  and  repelled  in 
quiry  with  sternness.  It  appeared  that  this  reserve  was  dic 
tated,  not  by  pride  or  love  of  power,  but  by  a  sense  of  duty. 
Now  that  the  concern  respected  his  own  interests,  he  had  no 
secrecy,  and  invited  the  most  candid  expressions  of  opinion; 
save  that  he  would  not  permit  any  denunciations  of  those  who, 
as  his  friends  supposed,  had  sought  to  injure  him.  As  soon  as 
the  affair  was  terminated,  it  was  banished  from  his  conversation, 
and  he  was  never  again  heard  to  allude  to  the  actors  in  it,  ex 
cept  where  he  could  honestly  applaud  them.  He  appeared  to  be 
elevated  wholly  above  all  the  infirmities  of  passion;  and  the 


HIS   CHRISTIAN    SPIRIT.  283 

only  liuinan  emotion  which  was  apparent,  even  to  his  wife,  who 
was  then  on  a  visit  to  him,  was  the  revival  of  his  genial  gaiety, 
at  the  prospect  of  their  speedy  return  to  their  home. 

His  domestic  tastes  led  him,  whenever  his  duties  confined  him 
to  the  town,  to  take  his  meals  with  the  family  of  a  congenial 
Christian  friend.  To  them  there  appeared,  during  these  trials, 
the  most  beautiful  display  of  Christian  temper.  His  dearest  re 
laxation  from  the  harassing  cares  of  his  command,  were  the 
caresses  of  the  children,  and  the  prayers  of  the  domestic  altar. 
When  he  led  in  the  latter,  as  he  was  often  invited  to  do,  it  was 
with  increasing  humility  and  tenderness.  A  prevalent  petition 
was  that  they  "might  grow  in  gentleness;"  and  he  never  spoke 
of  his  difficulties,  except  as  a  kind  discipline,  intended  for  his 
good,  by  his  Heavenly  Father. 

The  inexpediency  of  the  evacuation  of  Romney  was  soon 
manifested.  The  ice.  of  January  was  now  replaced  by  the  mud 
of  February;  and  the  deficiency  of  transportation,  with  the 
timid  haste  of  the  retreat,  caused  a  loss  of  tents  and  military 
stores,  equal  to  all  which  had  been  won  in  the  advance.  The 
enemy  immediately  assumed  the  aggressive  again,  and  reoccu- 
pied  Romney  in  force.  February  12th  they  seized  Moorefield, 
and  on  the  14th  they  surprised  and  routed  the  advanced  force, 
composed  of  a  small  brigade  of  militia,  stationed  at  Bloomery 
Gap,  twenty-one  miles  from  Winchester,  capturing  a  number  of 
prisoners.  Two  days  after,  Colonel  Ashby,  with  his  cavalry, 
recovered  the  pass,  which  the  Federalists  had  left  in  the  keeping 
of  a  detachment ;  but  they  remained  firmly  established  beyond 
it,  with  a  force  of  12,000  men.  The  whole  valley  of  the  South 
Branch  was  now  open  to  their  incursions.  Good  roads  led  up 
this  stream  from  Moorefield  to  its  head,  far  in  the  rear  of 
General  Edward  Johnson's  position  on  the  Alleghany,  which  the 
enemy  had  found  so  impregnable  in  front.  The  prediction  of 


284  LIFE  OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 

General  Jackson  was  now  verified,  and  that  force;  to  save  its 
communications,  was  after  a  little  compelled  to  retire  to  the 
Shenandoah  mountain,  only  twenty-five  miles  from  Staunton,  thus 
surrendering  to  the  inroads  of  the  Federalists  the  three  counties 
of  Pendleton,  Highland,  and  Bath.  Winchester  was  again  ex 
posed  to  the  advance  of  the  enemy  from  four  directions. 

The  difficulties  of  General  Jackson's  position  were,  at  the 
same  time,  aggravated  by  a  diminution  of  his  force.  General 
Loring  having  been  assigned  to  a  distant  field  of  operations,  his 
command  was  divided  between  the  Valley  and  Potomac  districts. 
The  brigade  of  General  Anderson,  composed  of  Tennessee 
troops,  was  sent,  with  two  regiments  from  that  of  Colonel  Talia- 
ferro,  to  Evansport,  on  General  Johnston's  extreme  right.  The 
brigade  of  Colonel  Gilham,  now  commanded  by  the  gallant 
Colonel  J.  S.  Burks,  was  retained  by  General  Jackson,  and  was 
henceforth  denominated  the  2d  Brigade  of  the  Army  of  the  Val 
ley.  Two  Virginia  regiments  only,  the  23d  and  37th.  remained 
to  Colonel  Taliaferro.  These,  increased  afterwards  by  the  ad 
dition  of  the  10th  Virginia,  composed  the  3d  Brigade  of  the 
Army  of  the  Valley.  The  three  militia  brigades  were  continu 
ally  dwindling  through  defective  organization,  and  before  the 
opening  of  the  active  campaign  they  were  dissolved.  The  con 
scription  law  of  the  Confederate  Congress  was  passed  not  long 
after,  which  released  the  men  over  thirty-five  years  old,  and 
swept  the  remainder  into  the  regular  regiments  of  the  provi 
sional  army.  When  the  Tennessee  regiments  were  sent  away, 
February  22d,  General  Jackson  informed  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  that  his  position  required  at  least  9;000  men  for  its  de 
fence,  threatened  as  it  was  by  two  armies  of  12,000  and  36,000 
respectively.  His  effective  strength  was  now  reduced  to  about 
6,000 ;  but  he  still  declared  that,  if  the  Federalist  generals 
advanced  upon  him,  he  should  march  out  and  attack  the  one 


FEDERAL  FORCES  OPPOSED  TO  JACKSON.        285 

who  approached  first.  The  force  on  the  south  branch  was  now 
commanded  by  General  Lander,  and  was  concentrated  about  a 
locality  on  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad  called  Paw  Paw, 
thirty-five  miles  from  Winchester.  The  importance  of  the  ex 
pedition  which  Jackson  had  been  so  anxious  to  make  in  January, 
to  destroy  the  great  bridges  about  Cumberland,  was  now  mani 
fest.  This  force  was  able  to  draw  its  supplies  by  railroad  from 
the  west,  and  to  bring  them  unobstructed  to  the  Great  Capon 
Bridge.  That  work  they  were  rapidly  rebuilding,  and  nothing 
could  be  anticipated  but  that,  on  its  completion,  they  would 
break  into  the  valley,  in  concert  with  General  Banks,  from  the 
northeast.  The  latter  commander  had  been  hitherto  inactive, 
but  it  was  known  that  he  had  a  large  force  cantoned  at 
Frederick  City,  Hagerstown,  and  Williamsport,  in  Maryland. 
His  first  indications  were,  that  he  was  moving  his  troops  up  the 
northern  bank  of  the  Potomac,  and  effecting  a  junction  with 
General  Lander,  by  boats  constructed  at  Cumberland  and 
brought  down  the  stream.  But  this  movement,  if  it  was  not  a 
feint,  was  speedily  reconsidered.  On  the  25th  of  February  he 
crossed  at  Harper's  Ferry  with  4000  men,  and  by  the  4th  of 
March  had  established  his  head-quarters  at  Charlestown,  seven 
miles  in  advance.  The  remainder  of  his  force  was  brought  over, 
from  time  to  time,  until  he,  with  General  Shields,  had  now  col 
lected  about  36,000  men  at  that  place,  Harper's  Ferry  and 
Martinsburg. 

A  General  of  less  genius  than  Jackson  would  have  certainly 
resorted  to  laborious  entrenchments,  as  an  expedient  for  repair 
ing  the  inequality  of  his  force.  But  he  constructed  no  works 
for  the  defence  of  Winchester.  To  an  inquiry  of  General  Hill, 
he  replied,  "  I  am  not  fortifying ;  my  position  can  be  turned 
on  all  sides."  Knowing  that,  if  he  enclosed  himself  in  forts, 
the  superior  forces  of  the  Federalists  would  envelop  him,  ho 


286  LIFE  OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

refused  to  construct  works  for  them  to  occupy,  after  his  enforced 
evacuation.  He  hoped  to  return  upon  them  some  day,  and  did  not 
desire  to  have  the  necessity  of  reducing  his  own  fortifications. 
His  strategy  sympathized  always  with  that  of  the  Douglas,  who 
"preferred  rather  to  hear  the  lark  sing,  than  the  rat  squeak." 

General  Jackson,  perceiving  that  the  Commander-in-Chief 
would  not  be  able  to  give  him  the  aid  he  desired,  looked  next 
for  co-operation  to  the  force  stationed  at  Lecsburg,  in  Loudoun 
county,  under  General  D.  II.  Hill.  By  providing  means  of  rapid 
transit  across  the  Shenandoah  at  Castleman's  Ferry,  and  estab 
lishing  a  telegraph  line  between  Leesburg  and  Winchester,  he 
proposed  to  secure  a  concentration  of  the  two  forces  by  two 
days'  march  at  most.  He  also  advised  that  General  Hill  should 
proceed  to  the  Loudoun  heights,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  that 
county,  and  station  some  artillery  upon  the  mountain  there  over 
looking  Harper's  Ferry,  so  as  to  make  the  ferry  across  the 
stream  so  hazardous,  and  the  village  so  untenable,  as  to  compel 
General  Banks  to  relinquish  that  line  of  approach.  But  the 
duty  of  guarding  his  own  position  forbade  General  Hill  to  ex 
tend  to  him  the  proposed  assistance.  He  therefore  busied  him 
self  in  removing  his  sick,  and  his  army  stores  to  Mount  Jackson, 
in  Shenandoah  county,  in  order  to  be  prepared  either  for  a 
desperate  resistance  at  Winchester,  or  for  a  .safe  retreat.  While 
he  was  thus  occupied,. the  winter  ended,  and  the  spring  campaign 
opened  in  good  earnest;  and,  before  the  summer  was  over, 
General  Jackson,  up  to  this  period  comparatively  unknown,  won 
for  himself  a  world-wide  reputation,  by  a  series  of  the  most 
brilliant  achievements ;  in  which,  with  a  mere  handful  of  troops, 
he  again  and  again  swept  thousands  of  the  enemy  before  him, 
and,  passing  swiftly  and  silently  from  point  to  point,  burst  like 
a  thunderbolt  upon  the  foe,  when  least  expected,  and  at  the 
decisive  hour. 


GENERAL  VIEW  OF   THE   CAMPAIGNS   OF    1862.  287 


CHAPTER    IX. 

GENERAL  VIEW  OF   THE   CAMPAIGNS   OF    1862. 

THE  campaigns  of  1861  had  been  but  a  prelude  to  the  gi 
gantic  struggle  which  was  to  be  witnessed  in  1862.  The 
prowess  and  superiority  which  the  Confederates  everywhere 
displayed,  rudely  awakened  the  people  of  the  United  States 
from  their  dreams  of  an  easy  conquest,  and  exasperated  their 
pride  and  revenge.  The  Washington  Government  now  resolved 
upon  a  new  policy.  This  was,  to  raise  armies  so  vast,  and  to 
add  to  their  momentum  by  such  deliberate  preparation,  as  to 
overwhelm  their  gallant  enemies  by  material  weight.  Under 
the  industrious  management  of  General  M'Clellan,  their  levies 
reached,  if  they  were  to  be  believed,  the  enormous  number  of 
seven  hundred  thousand  men ;  and  it  is  probable  that  more  than 
half  a  million  were  actually  under  arms,  and  drilling  with  the 
greatest  care.  Hitherto,  the  different  campaigns  had  been  de 
tached,  but  in  1862  they  assumed  connexion  with  each  other. 
The  movements  in  Virginia  were  related  to  those  in  the  Great 
West,  and  the  brilliant  events  in  the  district  commanded  by 
General  Jackson  had  a  vital  influence  upon  the  campaign  in 
Virginia. 

In  writing  the  military  history  of  this  great  commander,  two 
objects  must  be  kept  in  view.  One  will  be  to  explain  the 
strategic  grounds  which  support  the  propriety  of  his  own 
movements :  the  other,  to  show  the  intimate  connexion  of  his 


288  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

successes  with  the  fortunes  of  the  war.  Many  persons  have 
claimed  his  career  as  an  illustration  of  the  usclcssncss  of  the 
science  of  warfare,  and  an  instance  of  success  in  defiance  of  it. 
They  have  conceived  of  him  as  a  leader  who  discarded  rules, 
arid  trusted  only  to  his  fortunate  star,  to  rapidity  of  movements, 
and  to  hard  blows.  They  suppose  his  victories  were  the  results 
of  his  boldness  only,  with  that  inexplicable  chance,  which,  to 
man's  natural  reason,  appears  good  luck,  and  which  a  religious 
faith,  like  that  of  Jackson,  terms  Providence.  But  while  the 
perpetual  and  essential  influence  of  the  divine  power  is  asserted, 
which  alone  sustains  the  regular  connexion  of  means  with  ends, 
it  will  be  shown  that  these  conceptions  are  erroneous ;  that  Gen 
eral  Jackson's  campaigns  were  guided  by  the  most  profound  and 
original  applications  of  military  science,  as  well  as  sustained  by 
the  vigor  of  their  execution ;  and  that  they  arc  an  invaluable 
study  for  the  leader  of  armies. 

The  reader  has  now  reached  the  commencement  of  that  won 
drous  campaign  in  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  which  created  his 
fame.  Before  the  narrative  is  begun,  it  will  not  be  unprofitable 
to  pass  in  review  the  general  theatre  of  the  war,  and  the  posture 
and  advantages  of  the  two  parties.  This  survey,  as  well  as  the 
subsequent  history,  will  involve  the  use  of  a  few  technical  terms, 
whose  definition  may  be  helpful  to  the  unprofessional  reader. 
In  accordance  with  the  best  usage  the  word  Strategy  will  be 
employed  to  denote  the  art  of  giving  the  proper  direction  to  the 
movements  of  an  army  upon  the  theatre  of  war.  A  Strategic 
Point  is  a  place,  which,  from  geographical  or  other  reasons, 
secures  for  its  occupant  some  advantage  in  strategic  movements, 
and  thence,  sonic  control  over  a  part  of  the  theatre  of  war. 
Thus,  Manassa's  Junction  was  an  important  strategic  point  for 
the  Confederates  in  1861,  because  the  two  railroads  meeting 
there  gave  them  the  decisive  advantage  in  all  movements  over 


DEFINITIONS.  289 

the  territory  through  which  they  pass.  So,  an  important  for 
tress,  a  focus  where  many  highways  meet,  a  mountain  defile  con 
stituting  the  main  entrance  to  a  region,  may  be  such  a  point. 
The  phrase  General  Tactics  expresses  the  art  of  arraying  and 
using  an  army  successfully  upon  a  field  of  battle ;  while  special 
tactics  is  the  drill  which  is  taught  to  the  single  soldier,  the  com 
pany,  or  the  battalion,  in  the  several  branches  of  infantry, 
cavalry,  or  artillery.  A  Base  of  Operations  is  that  line,  or  series 
of  neighboring  points,  in  secure  possession  of  an  army,  whence 
it  sets  out  to  assail  its  enemy,  whence  it  continually  draws  its 
supplies  and  reinforcements,  and  to  which  it  may  retreat  for 
safety.  Its  Line  of  Operations  is  the  zone  along  which  an  army 
advances  from  its  base  toward  the  object  of  its  attack ;  and  its 
Line  of  Communications  is  but  the  same  tract,  usually,  viewed  in 
the  inverted  direction.  It  might  appear  from  this  definition, 
that  an  army's  line  of  operations  would  be  projected  always  at 
right  angles  to  its  base,  or  in  a  direction  approximating  this; 
but  while  this  is  often  true,  it  is  not  necessarily  so,  and  instances 
arise  in  which  the  most  successful  line  of  operations  may  be 
oblique,  or  even  almost  parallel  to  the  base.  Other  terms  which 
occur  will  now  easily  explain  themselves  to  the  attentive  reader, 
without  the  formality  of  definitions. 

The  one  decisive  advantage,  to  which  the  North  owes  all  its 
successes  over  the  South,  has  been,  not  its  larger  territories,  or 
population,  or  armies,  or  geographical  position,  but  its  superior 
ity  upon  the  water.  And  this  is  true,  as  will  be  made  clear, 
notwithstanding  that  it  has  been  chiefly  a  war  upon  land.  At 
the  division  of  the  Union,  the  Government  of  Washington  re 
tained  all  the  Federal  Navy.  Many  of  its  States  were  maritime 
and  manufacturing  communities ;  while  those  of  the  South  were 
chiefly  agricultural ;  hence  the  multiplication  of  ships  and  sailors, 
from  the  river  transport  up  to  the  man-of-war,  was  far  more 

37  . 


290  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

rapid  among  them.  This  inequality-  was  made  more  ruinous 
to  the  naval  force  of  the  South,  by  the  further  fact,  that  the 
initial  superiority  of  the  North  excluded  her  rival  from  all 
foreign  sources  of  supply,  for  equipping  and  manning  ships. 
The  result  has  been,  that  the  Confederates  have  had  no  oppor 
tunity  to  cope  with  their  invaders  upon  the  water ;  and  wherc- 
evcr  an  entrance  was  open  to  Federal  ships,  either  upon  sea  or 
river,  the  former  have  been  expelled. 

It  has  also  been  the  misfortune  of  the  Confederate  States,  to 
have  the  hitherto  unsettled  question,  whether  shore-batteries  can 
prevent  the  passage  of  ships  of  war,  decided,  in  novel  instances, 
of  the  most  serious  importance  to  them.  When  ships  were  only 
propelled  by  the  winds,  a  motive  power  never  so  forcible  as 
steam,  save  in  tempests,  variable,  uncertain,  liable  to  desert  the 
mariner  at  the  critical  moment,  and  leaving  him  no  option  save 
that  of  moving  in.  a  direction  somewhat  conformed  to  its  own,  or 
else,  of  casting  anchor,  artillerists  might  well  boast,  that  the 
stationary  battery  would  usually  destroy  the  vessel  which  chal 
lenged  its  fire.  But  our  generation  has  witnessed  the  introduc 
tion  of  steam-ships  of  war,  having  a  regular  and  unfailing  motive 
power  within  themselves,  propelling  them  irrespective  of  winds 
and  tides,  in  any  direction  desired,  and  capable  of  a  speed  as 
safe  and  steady,  at  once,  as  that  of  the  gentle  breeze,  and  as 
rapid  as  the  hurricane.  When  to  these  advantages  is  added  the 
iron  plating,  which,  if  not  impenetrable,  at  least  delays  the  ruin 
of  the  ship's  frame-work  until  after  a  series  of  blows,  it  becomes 
probable,  that  such  a  vessel  of  war  might  brave  the  bullets  of 
shore-batteries,  and  pass  them  with  impunity  without  silencing 
them.  But  the  old  authorities  of  the  land  service,  confident  in 
the  former  precedents,  still  declared  that  such  batteries  must 
ever  be  a  secure  protection  against  the  entrance  of  ships  of  war 
into  rivers  and  harbors  j  and  it  required  the  disastrous  events  of 


CONFEDERATES  SURROUNDED  BY  OCEAN.        291 

Island  No.  10,  of  New  Orleans,  and  at  last,  of  Vicksburg.  in 
each  of  which  the  batteries  were  passed,  and  thus  rendered  use 
less,  without  being  silenced,  to  teach  the  Confederate  Govern 
ment  this  new  fact  in  warfare. 

Let  it  be  remembered,  then,  that  the  oceans  which  bound  two 
sides  of  the  Confederate  States,  belong  to  their  enemy,  affording 
them  a  way  of  approach,  cheap,  speedy,  and  secure  from  assault. 
This  fact  renders  the  whole  sea-shore,  wherever  harbor  or  inlets 
gave  access  to  Federal  ships,  a  base  of  operations  to  their 
armies.  It  has  made  it  all  an  exposed  frontier,  and  brought  the 
enemy  upon  it  all,  as  though  he  had  embraced  its  whole  circum 
ference  with  coterminous  territories  of  his  own.  Popular  read 
ers  may  form  to  themselves  some  conception  of  the  disastrous 
influence  of  this  fact,  by  representing  to  themselves  the  inland 
kingdom  of  Bavaria,  assailed  at  once  on  four  sides,  by  Austria, 
Switzerland,  and  the  German  States,  all  united  under  a  single 
hostile  will.  The  similitude  is  unequal  only  in  this,  that  the 
Confederate  States  have  a  larger  area  than  Bavaria.  The 
professional  reader  will  comprehend  our  disadvantage  more 
accurately,  by  considering  that  our  enemies  thus  had  two  pairs 
of  bases  of  operations,  at  right  angles  to  each  other ;  whence  it 
resulted,  that  from  whatever  interior  base  a  Confederate  army 
might  set  out,  to  meet  the  invading  force  advancing  from  one  of 
these  sides,  the  Confederate  line  of  operations  must  needs  be 
exposed,  at  a  greater  or  less  distance,  to  a  Federal  advance,  from 
another  base,  threatening  to  strike  it  at  right  angles.  And  the 
cheap  and  rapid  transit  of  large  masses  by  water,  from  one 
line  of  operations  to  another,  gave  to  the  exterior  lines  all  the 
advantages  for  concentration  usually  possessed  by  the  interior. 

But  this  was  not  the  worst :  the  Confederate  territories  are  pen 
etrated  in  every  part  by  navigable  rivers,  either  opening  into  the 
sea,  which  is  the  territory  of  the  Federal,  or  into  his  own  frontiers. 


292  LIFE   OF    LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

From  the  cast  and  south,  the  Potomac,  the  Rappahannock,  the 
James,  the  Roanokc,  the  Neuse,  the  Cape  Fear,  the  Savannah, 
the  Alabama,  the  Brazos,  pierce  the  country  from  the  sea,  while 
the  Mississippi,  itself  an  inland  sea,  which  floats  the  greatest 
men  of  war,  passes  out  of  the  United  States,  through  the  middle 
of  the  Confederacy,  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  Tennessee 
and  the  Cumberland,  with  their  mouths  opening  upon  the  Fed 
eral  frontier,  and  navigable  in  winter  for  war-ships  as  well  as 
transports,  curve  inward,  deep  into  the  heart  of  the  southeastern 
quarter ;  and  the  Arkansas  and  Red  Rivers  open  up  the  States 
west  of  the  Mississippi.  Now,  the  naval  supremacy  of  the 
Federalists  having  been  asserted  upon  all  these  streams,  it  is  the 
least  part  of  the  evil,  that  their  fertile  borders  have  all  been 
exposed  to  ravage,  and  the  wealthy  cities  which  grace  them, 
have  been  wrested  from  the  Confederates.  The  margins  of  all 
these  rivers  arc  thus  made  capable  of  becoming  new  bases  of 
operations  for  invading  armies,  as  secure  as  their  own  frontiers. 
The  difficulties  of  distance,  arising  from  the  great  extent  of  the 
Confederate  territories,  are  reduced,  and  worst  of  all,  no 
interior  base  remains  to  the  Confederates,  from  which  strategic 
operations  can  proceed  in  any  direction,  but  that  line  is  found 
parallel  to  some  one  of  these  bases  of  Federal  operations ;  and 
so,  exposed  at  no  great  distance,  to  their  advance  at  right 
angles. upon  it,  Or,  if  there  is  an  exception,  it  is  only  found  in 
the  regions  surrounding  the  Appalachian  Range,  in  Virginia,  the 
Carolinas,  and  Georgia,  equally  removed  from  the  navigable 
waters  of  the  Ohio,  the  Tennessee,  and  the  Atlantic  streams. 
And  here,  accordingly,  the  Confederates  may  be  expected  to 
make  their  most  successful  resistance,  and  the  Federalists  to  find 
their  accidental  advantages  lost,  and  their  true  obstacles  begin 
ning. 

The  true  strategic  difficulties  of  the  Confederates,  have  ever 


CONSEQUENCES  TO  CONFEDERATES.  293 

arisen  more  from  their  enemies'  command  of  the  water,  than 
from  their  superior  numbers.  A  review  of  the  crowd  of  disasters 
with  which  the  year  18G2  opened,  will  be  the  best  illustration 
of  these  reasonings. 

The  first  of  these  was  the  battle  of  Mill  Spring,  or  of 
Somerset,  in  the  southeastern  part  of  Kentucky;  where  the 
Confederates,  at  first  victorious,  were  struck  with  discourage 
ment  by  the  death  of  their  beloved  commander  Gen.  Zolli- 
coffcr,  and  suffered  a  defeat.  This  insulated  event  was  without 
consequence,  save  as  it  showed  improved  spirit  and  drill  in 
the  Federal  soldiery.  February  8th,  a  Federal  fleet  and  army, 
entering  Albemarle  Sound  in  North  Carolina,  overpowered  the 
feeble  armament  on  land  and  water,  by  which  the  Confed 
erates  sought  to  .defend  Roanoke  Island,  the  key  to  all  the 
inland  waters  of  the  region.  The  enemy  established  himself 
there;  and  this  naval  success  was  one  of  the  causes,  which 
led  to  the  evacuation  of  Norfolk  at  a  later '  day ;  because 
it  gave  a  base  for  offensive  operations  against  the  rear  of  its  de 
fences.  The  Confederate  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  to 
whom  the  defence  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee  was  entrusted, 
had  stationed  his  main  force  at  Bowling  Green,  in  Kentucky,  a 
position  in  itself  strong  and  well  chosen.  But  his  retention  of 
it  depended  upon  his  closing  the  Mississippi,  Tennessee,  and 
Cumberland  Rivers,  to  the  enemy;  because  the  former  ran 
parallel  with  his  line  of  communications,  and  the  two  latter 
actually  passed  behind  his  rear.  He*  attempted  to  close  the 
Mississippi  by  batteries  at  Columbus,  the  Tennessee  by  Fort 
Henry,  and  the  Cumberland  by  Fort  Donelson.  The  first  of 
these  posts  was  supposed  by  friends  and  enemies,  to  be  of  ade 
quate  strength.  But  the  second  fell  after  a  feeble  defence,  Febru 
ary  Gth,  and  the  third  after  a  bloody  and  heroic  resistance, 
February  15th.  These  events  at  once  compelled  the  evacuation 


294  LIFE    OF    LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

* 

of  Columbus,  on  the  Mississippi,  because  they  gave  the  Federal 
ists,  on  the  -margin  of  the  two  rivers  now  opened  to  them,  a  base 
of  operations  parallel  to  the  line  of  communications  which  con 
nected  the  Confederate  army,  at  Columbus,  with  their  base. 
The  next  defence  was  attempted  at  Island  No.  10,  between  that 
place  and  the  city  of  Memphis.  The  Federalists,  after  an  ex 
pensive  and  futile  bombardment,  made  an  essay  to  pass  the 
batteries  with  their  gunboats,  without  waiting  to  silence  them; 
and  being  partially  successful  in  this,  compelled  the  cvacuationt 
of  the  post,  which  they  could  not  reduce,  by  threatening  the 
communications  of  the  garrison.  The  necessary  corollary  was 
the  fall  of  Memphis  without  a  defence.  There  now  remained 
for  the  Confederates,  no  practicable  line  of  operations,  in  all 
West  and  Middle  Tennessee:  for  the  reason  that  the  three 
streams,  diverging  from  points  near  Cairo,  the  great  naval  depot 
of  the  Federalists,  and  open  to  their  fleets,  gave  them  bases  of 
operations  on  all  their  banks,  parallel  to  any  line  upon  which 
the  other  party  might  move.  The  determination  of  Generals 
A.  S.  Johnston  and  Beauregard  to  transfer  the  campaign  to  the 
southern  bank  of  the  Tennessee,  was  therefore  in  strict  con 
formity  with  military  principle ;  although  it  required  the  loss  of 
the  Capital  of  the  fine  State  of  Tennessee,  and  two-thirds  of  its 
territory.  The  result  of  their  wise  strategy  was  the  victory  of 
Shiloh,  April  6th :  yet  even  this  was  almost  neutralized  by  the 
facility  of  concentration,  which  the  naval  resources  of  the  enemy 
gave  them.  The  selection  of  Corinth  as  the  strategic  point  for 
the  protection  of  the  State  of  Mississippi  was  also  correct :  for 
it  gave  the  command  of  the  railroads  diverging  thence  eastward 
and  southward.  But  the  advantage  of  river  transportation  for 
troops  and  munitions  of  war,  to  the  neighborhood,  speedily 
enabled  the  Federalists  to  assemble  so  enormous  a  preponder 
ance  of  means  in  front  of  General  Beauregard's  position  there, 


LOSS   OF   NEW   ORLEANS   TO   SOUTHWEST.  295 

as  to  compel  his  retreat  to  an  interior  point.  Had  lie  withstood 
this  motive  for  retreat,  another,  still  more  controlling,  would  in 
time,  have  appeared:  the  Mississippi  River,  now  open  to  the 
enemy  to  Vicksburg,  offered  them  a  base,  parallel  to  General 
Beauregard's  line  of  communications  from  Corinth  with  his 
rear ;  so  that  it  was  practicable  to  assail  that  line  by  advancing 
from  the  water. 

The  extravagant  joy  of  the  Federalists  at  the  fall  of  Forts 
Henry  and  Donelson  was  generally  ridiculed.  It  was  said  that 
the  capture  of  two  hastily-constructed  earthworks,  mounting  a 
few  cannon,  was  no  exploit  to  justify  the  boastings  of  a  great 
fleet  and  army,  employed  in  their  reduction.  The  results  of 
these  successes  were  far  greater  than  their  glory;  and  they 
spoke  far  more  strongly  against  the  providence  of  the  Confed 
erate  rulers,  than  for  the  prowess  of  the  Federal  armies.  The 
true  gravity  of  the  events  was  not  in  .the  fact,  that  the  reduc 
tion  of  such  works  was  a  difficult  or  honorable  task :  but  in  the 
fact  that  the  Confederates  lacked  cither  the  wisdom  or  the 
means  to  interpose  more  stable  defences  in  avenues  of  such 
vital  importance  to  their  campaign.  It  is  now  manifest,  that 
the  possession  of  the  three  rivers  decided  that  of  the  theatre 
of  war.  It  is  not  intended  that  the  mere  access  to  the  margins 
of  these  streams,  and  the  opportunity  to  use  them  as  bases  of 
operations  on  land,  would  have  been  enough,  without  a  prepon 
derance  of  military  means  to  be  employed  thence;  but  that, 
without  the  advantage  of  these  bases,  even  the  great  superiority 
of  the  Federal  numbers  would  not  have  availed  to  give  them 
the  campaign. 

But  the  most  fatal  of  all  these  advantages  was  the  occupation 
of.  New  Orleans.  This  success  also  resulted  from  the  discovery, 
whose  novelty  was  so  unfortunate  for  the  Confederate  cause, 
that  war  steamers  could  pass  batteries  with  impunity.  After 


296  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

the  chief  of  the  naval  force  had  despaired  of  the  reduction  of 
the  forts  which  guarded  the  approaches  to  the  city,  Commodore 
Farragut,  April  24th,  essayed,  what  was  then  esteemed  the  rash 
experiment  of  passing  them  by  night,  with  perfect  success. 
The  rich  and  unarmed  city  then  lay  at  his  mercy;  for  the 
Confederates  had  no  fleet  adequate  to  resist  his  approach,  and 
the  surrender  of  the  forts  was  the  obvious  sequel  to  the  loss 
of  that,  which  they  were  intended  to  protect.  The  Mississippi 
River  was  now  open  to  the  Federal  navies  through  all  its  length, 
except  the  section  embraced  between  the  fortresses  of  Port 
Hudson  and  Vicksburg.  Thus,  their  strategic  advantages  were 
extended  indefinitely  for  operating  in  all  the  States  on  both 
sides  of  its  waters.  The  greater  success  of  the  Federalists  in 
their  southwestern  campaigns  is  explained  by  the  position  of 
these  great  rivers.  When  the  advantage  which  they  possessed 
in  them  is  considered,  the  only  wonder  will  be,  that  they  did  not 
accomplish  more,  with  their  vast  military  resources.  Their 
failure  to  conquer  the  whole  is  only  to  be  explained  by  their 
own  timidity  and  feebleness  in  execution,  coupled  with  the 
bravery  and  talent  of  the  Confederates.  It  is  no  small  glory 
to  the  latter,  to  have  saved  any  part  of  their  country  from  an 
enemy  possessed  of  strategic  advantages  so  deadly. 

The  policy  which  should  have  been  adopted  for  defence  by 
the  Confederate  Government,  is  also  indicated  by  these  events. 
They  should  have  understood  that  there  were  four  vital  points, 
—  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi,  its  course  at  the  western  ex 
tremity  of  Kentucky,  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee,  and  the 
mouth  of  the  Cumberland,  to  the  defence  of  which  every  en- 
ergy  should  have  been  bent  from  the  first  day  of  the  war. 
The  loss  of  one  of  these,  and  especially  of  one  of  the  last 
three,  rendered  nugatory  the  defence  of  the  others ;  because  the 
invading  army,  penetrating  along  the  one  stream  which  it  had 


CONFEDERATES  NEEDED  SHIPS.  297 

opened,  could  base  itself  upon  its  banks,  far  in  the  rear  of  the 
forces  defending  the  other  two,  and,  by  threatening  their  commu 
nications,  compel  their  retreat.  The  obstacles  placed  upon  all 
of  them  should,  therefore,  have  been  equally  impregnable.  It 
had  been  better  to  neglect  anything  else,  and  to  suffer  any  incur 
sions  by  land,  than  to  fail  in  this.  And  since  the  recent  intro 
duction  of  steam  into  ships  of  war,  with  the  earnest  warnings  of 
enlightened  naval  men,  ought  to  have  aroused  at  least  a  mistrust 
of  shore-batteries,  as  a  sufficient  defence  against  ships,  other  and 
more  certain  means  of  resistance  should  have  been  provided  at 
these  essential  points.  To  the  construction  of  enough  efficient 
war-ships  to  hold  these  four  avenues,  the  energies  of  the  Gov 
ernment  and  people  should  have  been  directed,  at  the  earliest 
hour,  with  an  activity  akin  to  that  of  desperation.  The  Con 
federates  then  possessed  the  wealth,  the  skilled  labor,  and  the 
material  supplies,  of  Nashville,  Memphis,  New  Orleans,  and 
Norfolk ;  by  neglecting  to  expend  a  part  early  and  wisely,  they 
lost  the  whole  of  them. 

At  the  place  last  named,  the  Confederates  were  employed 
during  the  winter,  in  one  enterprise,  which  pointed  in  the  right 
direction;  the  construction  of  the  iron-clad  steamer,  Virginia. 
This  powerful  and  unique  ship,  armed  with  the  most  formidable 
rifled  cannon,  was  prepared  for  action  early  in  March,  and  on 
the  8th  of  that  month,  attacked  the  Federal  fleet  in  Hampton 
Roads,  destroying  three  frigates  and  several  gunboats,  and 
putting  the  remainder  to  flight. 

This  brilliant  action  filled  the  people  with  delight,  and  the 
noble  ship  was  accepted  as  a  sufficient  defence  for  the  mouth  of 
James  River,  against  all  the  men-of-war  which  the  Federalists 
could  at  that  time  bring  against  -her.  Her  prowess  showed 
that  a  few  such  vessels  in  the  Mississippi  might  have  saved  the 


298  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

disasters  of  the  southwest,  and  the  occupation  of  a  third  of 
its  territory. 

The  disparity  of  the  strength  of  the  two  parties  was  pointed 
out  at  the  beginning  of  the  war.  The  geographical  position  of 
the  Confederate  States,  it  has  been  now  shown,  rendered  them 
yet  weaker  for  a  defensive  war;  but  to  this  species  of  resist 
ance  they  were  shut  up.  At  the  beginning  of  the  campaign  of 
1862,  they  had  experienced  a  farther  diminution  of  strength; 
in  the  virtual  loss  of  Kentucky  and  Missouri.  A  few  of  the 
chivalrous  citizens  of  these  States,  accepting  banishment  rather 
than  subjugation,  followed  the  fortunes  of  the  Confederacy;  but 
their  territories,  their  revenues,  and  their  wealth  were  now  in 
the  hands  of  the  oppressors.  The  military  events  which  induced 
this  result  need  not  be  detailed  here  \  for  they  would  lead  too 
far  away  from  the  proper  subject  —  the  Virginian  campaign. 
After  this  loss,  which  occurred  before  the  struggle  reached  its 
acme,  the  Confederates  States  had  about  eight  and  a  half 
millions  of  people,  including  among  them  nearly  all  the  Africans 
of  the  South,  with  whom  to  resist  twenty  millions.  This  state 
ment  declares,  more  forcibly  than  any  eloquence  of  words,  the 
heroic  character  of  the  defence  which  they  have  since  made. 

Comparisons  of  present  with  past  events  assist  us  to  appre 
ciate  the  merit  of  the  latter,  by  the  help  of  the  estimate  estab 
lished  for  the  former  in  history.  Let  the  defence  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy  against  the  United  States,  be  illustrated, 
for  instance,  by  that  of  Spain,  in  the  Peninsular  War,  against 
the  designs  of  Napoleon,  which  were  not  unlike  the  aggressions 
of  the  Federals  in  iniquity.  Spain  then  possessed  about  eleven 
millions  of  people,  an  army  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
thousand  men,  and  a  navy  superior  to  that  of  the  United  States, 
at  the  opening  of  this  war.  Her  soil  was  open  to  the  invader 
only  at  one  quarter,  for  the  sea  which  surrounds  her  was  held 


FEDERAL   POSITIONS   IN   APRIL,    1862.  299 

by  tlic  fleets  of  England,  in  conjunction  with  her  own ;  and 
these  reduced  the  navy  of  France  to  an  absolute  inactivity. 
Access  to  her  wealthy  colonies  was  open  throughout  the  strug 
gle,  and  no  blockade  obstructed  the  entrance  of  the  British 
arms  and  supplies.  On  the  other  hand,  the  population  of  .tho 
French  Empire  was  double  that  of  the  Federal  States,  but  the 
armies  of  the  Emperor  were  not  more  numerous  than  those 
employed  for  our  conquest.  The  vast  difference  against  Napo 
leon  was,  that  during  the  whole  Spanish  struggle,  his  strength 
w*as  also  tasked  with  gigantic  wars  elsewhere  while  the  malice 
of  the  Federal  has  met  no  diversion  from  any  other  nation  in 
its  concentration  upon  the  work  of  our  destruction,  and  to  his 
armies,  equal  to  all  the  imperial  legions,  must  be  added  the 
efforts  of  a  great  navy.  Yet,  with  these  relative  means  of 
aggression,  Napoleon  overran  the  whole '  territory  of  Spain, 
occupied  her  capital,  and  compelled  her  to  a  war  of  six  years, 
in  which  she  was  seconded  by  the  whole  military  power  .of 
Great  Britain,  to  shake  off  his  grasp.  What,  then,  must  have 
been  the  energy  of  the  Southern  character,  as  compared  with 
the  Spanish,  or  what  the  impotency  of  the  Federal  administra 
tion  as  compared  with  the  French,  to  reduce  the  consequences 
of  their  invasion  to  so  partial  a  limit,  at  the  end  of  three  years 
of  lavish  expenditure  and  bloodshed  ? 

The  opening  of  the  campaign  of  1862  found  the  Federalists 
firmly  seated  upon  the  coast  of  South  Carolina  at  Beaufort,  and 
of  North  Carolina  at  Fort  Macon,  Newberne,  and  Roanoke 
Island.  On  the  eastern  borders  of  Virginia,  they  occupied 
Fortress  Moriroe,  and  Newport  News,  all  the  lower  peninsula 
between  the  James  and  York  Rivers,  and  the  mouth  of  the  Rap- 
pahannock.  Near  the  ancient  towns  of  Williamsburg  and  York, 
General  Magrudcr,  with  a  few  thousand  men,  held  their  superior 
numbers  at  bay :  and  his  guns  maintained  a  precarious  command 


300  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

over  the  channels  of  the  two  rivers.  Around  Washington, 
swarmed  "the  Grand  Army"  of  General  M'Clellan,  upon  both 
banks  of  the  Potomac ;  while  its  wings  extended  from  the  lower 
regions  of  the  State  of  Maryland,  to  the  Alleghanies.  It  was 
confronted  by  the  army  of  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  with  its 
right  wing  resting  upon  the  Potomac  to  Evansport,  and  com 
manding  the  river  by  a  formidable  battery,  its  centre  about 
Manassa's  Junction,  and  its  left  at  Winchester  under  General 
Jackson.  This  army  was  composed  of  volunteers  enlisted  for 
one  year ;  and  the  hour  when  their  term  of  service  expired,  was 
now  fast  approaching. 

Neither  State  nor  Confederate  Government  had  yet  adopted 
any  permanent  system  for  raising  or  recruiting  armies.  The 
Congress  was  just  moving,  under  the  impulse  of  threatening  dis 
asters,  towards  the  adoption  of  a  general  conscription,  which 
placed  all  the  male  white  population,  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  thirty-five,  in  the  military  service. 

But  this  law,  while  it  promised  ultimately  to  bring  a  multitude 
of  new  soldiers  into  the  service,  released  a  number  of  veterans, 
who  were  more  than  thirty-five  years  old.  It  moreover  involved 
the  reorganization  of  every  regiment,  by  the  election  of  new 
officers;  a  work  which  was  in  progress  throughout  the  early 
months  of  the  campaign.  All  the  forces  of  the  Confederacy, 
being  volunteers,  had  claimed  the  republican  privilege  of  elec 
tion.  The  fruits  of  this  vicious  system  of  appointment  were 
now  becoming  more  painfully  manifest ;  when  to  its  other  relax 
ations  of  authority  were  added  the  desire  on  the  part  of  the 
officers  to  propitiate  the  favor  of  their  soldiers  by  indulgence,  in 
view  of  the  approaching  vote,  and  the  disposition  of  other 
aspirants  to  oppose  their  pretensions  to  a  re-election,  by  every 
species  of  cabal.  The  troops  were  chiefly  raised  by  authority 
of  the  States :  during  the  remainder  of  the  war,  they  were  to  be 


NEW  MILITARY   LAWS.  301 

governed  by  that  of  the  Confederacy.  That  power  therefore 
proposed  to  introduce,  along  with'  their  conscription,  a  uniform 
system  for  its  armies.  The  3rd  of  March,  General  Jackson, 
through  a  member  of  Congress  from  his  Military  District,  urged 
the  adoption  of  two  principles :  of  which  one  was,  that  the 
right  of  electing  should  be  arrested,  save  for  the  lowest  rank  of 
commissioned  officers,  third  lieutenants:  and  that  above  that 
grade,  all  vacancies  should  be  filled  by  promotion.  The  second 
was,  that  promotion .  should  not  be  obtained  by  seniority,  un 
less  the  applicant  was  approved  by  a  Board  of  Examiners, 
whose  rejection,  when  sanctioned  by  the  Commander-in-Chief  of 
a  Department,  should  be  final.  Although  the  reorganization  of 
the  Virginia  regiments,  for  the  second  year,  was  completed  under 
laws  of  the  State,  without  these  wholesome  regulations,  they 
were  soon  after  embodied  in  the  laws  of  Congress.  Their 
effect  has  been  steadily  to  raise  the  efficiency  of  the  officers,  and 
thus,  the  discipline  of  the  army.  But  during  the  first,  and  the 
greater  part  of  the  second  campaign,  the  lack  of  competent  and 
energetic  officers  for  companies  and  regiments,  was  the  bane  of 
the  service,  and  the  constant  grievance  of  the  commanders.  In 
many,  there  was  neither  an  intelligent  comprehension  of  their 
duties,  nor  zeal  in  their  performance. 

Appointed  by  the  votes  of  their  neighbors  and  friends,  to  lead 
them,  they  would  neither  exercise  that  rigidity  in  governing,  nor 
that  detailed  care  in  providing  for  the  wants  of  their  men,  which 
are  necessary  to  keep  soldiers  efficient.  The  duties  of  the  drill 
and  the  sentry-post  were  often  negligently  performed ;  and  the 
most  profuse  waste  of  ammunition,  and  other  military  stores,  was 
permitted.  It  was  indeed  seldom  that  these  officers  were  guilty 
of  cowardice  upon  the  field  of  battle ;  but  they  were  often  in 
the  wrong  place,  fighting  as  common  soldiers,  when  they  should 
have  been  directing  others.  Above  all,  was  their  inefficiency 


302  -LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

marked  by  their  inability  to  keep  their  men  in  the  ranks. 
"  Absenteeism  "  grew  under  them  to  a  monstrous  evil ;  and  while 
those  who  were  animated  by  principle  were  bravely  in  their 
places  on  the  day  of  action,  every  poltroon  and  laggard  found  a 
way  to  creep  from  the  ranks.  Indeed,  it  was  no  rare  thing  to  hear 
these  leaders  reason,  that  efforts  to  keep  the  latter  class  in  their 
places  were  injudicious ;  because  they  would  be  of  no  use,  if 
present !  Hence  the  frequent  phenomenon,  that  regiments 
which,  on  the  books  of  the  commissary  appeared  as  consum 
ers  of  five  hundred  or  a  thousand  rations,  were  reported  as 
carrying  into  action  two  hundred  and  fifty,  or  three  hundred 
bayonets.  The  thinness  of  these  ranks  must  needs  be  repaired 
by  the  greater  devotion  and  gallantry  of  the  true  men.  They 
were  compelled  to  take  their  own  share  of  the  bullets,  and  those 
of  the  cowards  in  addition :  and  thus,  the  blood  which  was  shed 
in  battle  was  almost  exclusively  that  of  the  noblest  and  best, 
while  the  ignoble  currents,  in  the  veins  of  the  base,  were  hus 
banded. 

At  the  approach  of  the  spring  campaign,  other  causes,  less 
discreditable,  concurred  to  diminish  -the  armies  in  Virginia. 
Furloughs  were  liberally  given,  in  order  to  encourage  the  men 
to  re-enlist  with  cheerfulness.  A  majority  of  the  officers  were 
at  their  homes,  professedly  engaged  in  collecting  absentees,  or  in 
recruiting  new  men.  The  fevers  of  the  previous  autumn  had 
decimated  the  most  of  the  regiments.  While,  therefore,  the 
diligence  of  the  Federal  Government  was  swelling  the  host  of 
M'Clellan  to  two  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  men,  the  command 
of  General  Johnston  was  absolutely  diminished  more  than  one 
half,  when  the  season  of  activity  arrived.  It  was  manifest  that 
lie  would  be  in  no  condition  to  cope  with  his  adversary,  in  his 
present  positions.  His  chief  protection  against  a  catastrophe 
bad  been,  for  some  time,  the  condition  of  the  roads,  which 


FEDERAL   PLANS   OF   STRATEGY.  303 

forbade  campaigning.  A  winter  and  early  spring  of  unpre 
cedented  rains  bad  so  softened  the  argillaceous  soil  of  the  Bull 
"Run,  that  the  two  armies  lay  immovable,  like  two  hostile  ships 
fast  grounded  in  a  shoal  of  mud,  a  little  too  remote  for  combat. 
General  M'Clellan  was  anxiously  awaiting  the  first  drying  suns 
of  March,  to  move  his  gigantic  army  forward  to  that  triumph, 
for  which  he  had  been  so  assiduously  preparing  them  for  eight 
months ;  and  General  Johnston  was  watching  for  the  same  junc 
ture,  to  retire  to  a  more  interior  line  of  defence. 

The  goal  of  the  Federal  advance  was,  of  course,  to  be  Rich 
mond;  and  to  its  capture,  every  movement  was  to  converge. 
General  M^Clcllan  was  to  drive  back  the  left  wing  of  the  Con 
federate  army  at  Winchester,  by  the  forces  under  Shields  and 
Banks,  to  insulate  and  overpower  the  right  wing  resting  on  the 
Potomac  at  Evansport,  and  to  surround  and  crush  General 
Johnston  at  Manassas,  or  else  to  force  him  toward  Richmond, 
and  pursue  him.  The  army  on  the  Peninsula,  setting  out  from 
Fortress  Monroe,  was  to  press  back  General  Magruder,  and 
assail  the  capital  from  the  East.  The  forces  in  the  Valley, 
having  beaten  General  Jackson,  were  cither  to  converge  towards 
the  rear  of  Manassa's  Junction,  by  crossing  the  Blue  Ridge,  or 
else  to  march  southwestward  up  that  District,  and  at  Staunton, 
meet  a  powerful  force  from  the  Northwest,  which  was  preparing 
to  advance  from  Wheeling,  under  General  Fremont.  Staunton 
was  manifestly  one  of  the  most  important  strategic  points  in 
Central  Virginia.  It  is  situated  on  the  Central  Railroad,  and  at 
the  intersection  of  the  great  Valley  Turnpike  (a  paved  road 
which  extends  from  the  Potomac  continuously  to  the  extremity  of 
Southwestern  Virginia).  It  is  also  the  terminus  of  the  Turnpike 
to  Parkersburg,  in  Northwest  Virginia,  and  H\Q  focus  of  a  number 
of  important  highways.  Its  possession  decided  that  of  the  whole 
interior  of  the  State,  and  of  another  avenue,  the  Central  Rail- 


oU4  s       LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENEBAL  JACKSON. 

road,  leading  to  Richmond  from  its  western  side.  As  this  road, 
on  its  way  to  the  capital,  passes  by  Gordonsville,  the  intersection 
of  the  Orange  and  Alexandria  road,  on  which  General  Johnston 
now  depended  as  his  sole  line  of  communications;  its  possession 
by  the  Federalists  would  at  once  endanger  that  line,  and  compel 
him  to  seek  a  position  still  more  interior.  Moreover,  Eastern 
Virginia,  south  of  Gordonsville,  was  the  great  tobacco-planting 
region,  and  consequently,  yielded  no  large  supplies  for  the  capi 
tal  or  armies.  The  great  central  counties,  to  which  Staunton 
was  the  key,  were  the  granary  of  the  Commonwealth.  There 
was,  then,  little  hope  that  the  capital,  with  the  large  armies 
necessary  for  its  defence,  when  thus  insulated  from  its  sources 
of  supply,  and  open  only  to  the  south,  would  endure  a  very  long 
investment.  Considering  these  things,  and  remembering  that  if 
Staunton  were-  surrendered,  the  concentration  of  General  Banks' 
and  General  Fremont's  columns  there  must  inevitably  occur, 
thus  placing  a  third  army  of  commanding  strength  far  in  the 
rear  of  General  Johnston's  left,  and  of  his  temporary  base, 
General  Jackson  declared  that  the  defence  of  the  Valley  was 
essential  to  the  defence  of  Virginia.  Geographically,  it  is  the 
heart  of  the  State.  Its  vast  resources  were  essential  to  our 
strength;  and  if  seized  by  the  enemy,  would  enable  them  to 
deal  deadly  blows.  If  they  seated  themselves  in  force  there, 
they  could  not  be  dislodged,  save  at  great  cost;  because  no 
favorable  base  and  line  of  operations  against'  them,  would 
remain  to  the  Confederates. 

The  retreat  of  General  Johnston  from  Manassa's  Junction 
implied  that  of  General  Jackson  from  Winchester,  for  reasons 
already  explained  (in  Chap.  VII.) ;  and  for  the  latter,  no  practi 
cable  line  of  operations  would  remain  north  of  Front  Royal  and 
Strasbourg.  These  two  villages,  both  on  the  line  of  the  Manas 
sa's  Gap  Railroad,  marked  the  opening  of  the  twin  valleys,  into 


JACKSOX   DETERMINES   TO    RETREAT  TOWARDS   STAUNTOX.        305 

which  the  Masanuttin  Mountains  divide  the  Great  Valley  for 
fifty  miles.  The  strategic  question  for  General  Jackson  was, 
whether  he  should  mov&.to  Front  Royal,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Eastern  Valley,  or  to  Strasbourg,  at  the  beginning  of  the  West 
ern,  and  on  the  great  road  leading  to  Staunton.  At  the  begin 
ning  of  March,  this  question  was  receiving  careful  discussion  by 
letters  between  his  Commander-in- Chief  and  him.  The  former 
advised  that  he  should  retire  to  Front  Royal,  and  thence,  up  the 
south  branch  of  the  Shenandoah,  because  it  was  in  the  direction 
of  his  own  intended  retreat,  and  therefore  upon  convergent 
lines ;  because  thus,  the  retreating  wings  would  be  prepared  for 
a  more  rapid  concentration  than  those  of  the  invading  army,  and 
for  a  vigorous  blow  at  each  of  them  in  turn :  and  because  it  was 
contrary  to  all  sound  discretion  to  allow  the  enemy  to  attain  a 
point  between  the  Manassa's  Army  and  the  Army  of  the  Valley, 
from  which  he  might  act  against  them  on  interior  lines.  Gen 
eral  Johnston  accordingly  enjoined  on  General  Jackson,  not  to 
permit  the  Federalists  to  insinuate  themselves  between  Win 
chester  and  the  Blue  Ridge.  Had  there  been  no  armies  on  the 
theatre  of  war,  save  those  of  M'Clellan  and  Johnston,  Banks 
and  Jackson,  these  views  would  have  been  correct.  But  Gen 
eral  Jackson  declared  his  preference  for  a  retreat  up  the  main 
Valley,  in  the  direction  of  Staunton.  That  place,  he  argued, 
would  be  the  object  of  Banks's  endeavors,  rather  than  a  junction 
with  M'Clellan  in  front  of  General  Johnston;  because,  by  ap 
proaching  Staunton,  he  threatened  General  Edward  Johnson's 
rear,  and  compelled  his  retreat  without  a  blow ;  he  thus  opened 
the  way  for  General  .Fremont's  unobstructed  advance,  and 
effected  a  junction  with  him;  and  he  placed  himself,  in  re 
doubled  force,  so  far  in  the  rear  of  General  Johnston's  left, 
and  so  near  his  line  of  communications,  as  to  necessitate  his 
retiring  without  battle,  and  yielding  to  M'Clcllan  the  vast  and 

39 


306  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

precious  circuit  of  country  which  has  been  described.  For  this 
reason,  he  said  the  main  Valley  must  not  be  left  open  to  Gen 
eral  Banks.  But  unless  the  Confederates  from  Winchester 
moved  so  decisively  towards  the  Blue  Ridge,  as  to  leave  the 
road  to  Staunton  undefended  against  him,  they  could  not  effect 
General  Johnston's  purpose,  of  converging  on  lines  shorter  and 
more  concentric  than  those  of  the  enemy's  advance.  Indeed, 
since  a  short  march  from  Charlestown,  by  the  way  of  Berryville 
and  Milwood,  would  place  General  Banks  at  the  fords  of  the 
Shenandoah,  and  on  the  main  roads  from  Winchester  to  Manas- 
sa's,  if  that  purpose  were  to  be  the  dominant  one,  the  Confed 
erate  army  ought  to  move  that  very  day,  not  towards  Front 
Royal,  but  directly  towards  Manassa's.  If  such  an  object  were 
in  view  as  dictated  the  masterly  strategy  of  July,  1861  [to 
make  an  immediate  concentration,  and  fight  a  successful  battle 
for  the  retention  of  Manassa's  Junction],  then  this  would  be 
the  proper  movement;  but  in  no  other  case.  On  the  other 
hand,  he  declared  that  he  did  not  believe  General  Banks 
could  cross  the  Blue  Ridge,  to  bear  upon  General  Johnston, 
while  he  remained  in  the  Valley  near  him,  acting  upon  the  line 
of  communications  with  Staunton,  and  continually  threatening 
his  right.  General  Jackson  therefore  desired  to  be  permitted  to 
retire  to  Strasbourg ;  but  he  closed  his  manly  argument  with  the 
assurance,  that  he  should  promptly  and  cheerfully  obey  the 
wishes  of  his  Commander-in-Chief,  whatever  they  might  be. 
General  Johnston  conceded  to  him  the  exercise  of  his  own  dis 
cretion;  and  he  made  preparations  to  retreat,  when  it  became 
necessary,  up  the  Valley,  by  sending  his  stores  and  sick  to 
Mount  Jackson,  forty-five  miles  above  Winchester.  It  will  ap 
pear  how  far  events  confirmed  his  speculations. 

To  a  friend  in  the  Confederate  Congress,  General  Jackson 
thus  disclosed  his  own  wishes.     Speaking  of  the  Valley  of  Vir- 


CORRESPONDENCE.  307 

ginia,  lie  says :  —  "  What  I  desire  is,  to  hold  the  country  as  far 
as  practicable,  until  we  are  in  a  condition  to  advance ;  and  then, 
with  God's  blessing,  let  us  make  thorough  work  of  it.  But  let 
us  start  right.  .  .  . 

"In  regard  to  your  question  as  to  how  many  troops  I  need, 
you  will  probably  be  able  to  form  some  idea,  when  I  tell  you 
that  Banks,  who  commands  about  35,000  has  his  head-quarters 
in  Charlestown,  and  that  Kelly,  who  has  succeeded  Lander,  has 
probably  11,000,  with  his  head-quarters  near  Paw  Paw.  Thus 
you  see  two  Generals,  whose  united  force  is  near  46,000,  of 
troops  already  organized  for  three  years  or  the  war,  opposed  to 
our  little  force  here  j  but  I  do  not  feel  discouraged.  Let  me 
have  what  force  you  can.  M'Clellan,  as  I  learn,  was  at 
Charlestown  on  Friday  last :  there  may  be  something  significant 
in  this.  You  observe  then,  the  impossibility  of  saying  how 
many  troops  I  will  require,  since  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  know 
how  many  will  invade  us.  I  am  delighted  to  hear  you  say 
Virginia  is  resolved  to  consecrate  all  her  resources,  if  necessary, 
to  the  defence  of  herself.  Now  we  may  look  for  war  in  earnest." 

"  You  ask  me  for  a  letter  respecting  the  Valley.  I  am  well 
satisfied  that  you  can  say  much  more  about  it  than  I  can,  and  in 
much  more  forcible  terms.  I  have  only  to  say  this  j  that  if  this 
Valley  is  lost,  Virginia  is  lost. 

"Very  truly,  your  friend,. 

"  T.  J.  JACKSON." 


308  LIFE    OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 


CHAPTER    X. 

KERNSTOWN. 

BY  the  lltli  of  March,  1862,  General  Jackson  had  removed 
all  his  sick  and  supplies  to  Mount  Jackson,  and  had  gathered  in 
all  his  troops  from  the  outposts  to  Winchester.  He  now  had 
only  the  First,  Second,  and  Third  Virginia  Brigades,  the  last 
containing  two  small  regiments,  Colonel  Ashby's  regiment  of 
horse,  and  six  batteries  of  field  artillery.  On  that  day,  General 
Banks  approached  within  four  miles  of  Winchester,  on  the 
north,  and  General  Jackson  went  out  and  offered  him  battle. 
This  challenge  Banks  declined,  although  his  force  present  on  the 
field  was  fourfold,  and  preferred  to  await  the  arrival  of  General 
Shields  with  his  reserves.  The  Confederates,  therefore,  returned 
in  the  evening  to  their  camp  around  the  town,  and  General 
Jackson  assembled  the  commander  and  colonels  of  the  Stonewall 
Brigade,  as  a  council  of  war,  to  lay  before  them  a  daring  project 
which  he  had  conceived.  While  he  was  awaiting  them,  he  went 
to  take  his  supper  with  the  hospitable  family  whose  board  he 
frequented,  and  appeared  in  their  parlor  with  his  military  cloak, 
spurs,  sword,  and  haversack.  His  spirits  were  unusually  bright 
and  genial,  and  his  countenance  glowed  with  animation.  His 
friends,  on  the  contrary,  were  oppressed  with  gloom ;  for  they 
could  not  but  -  see  that  the  movement  of  stores  to  the  rear, 
which  had  been  °o  complete,  portended  the  evacuation  of  Win 
chester,  and  their  surrender  to  the  hated  oppressions  of  the 


JACKSON   PLANS   NIGHT   ATTACK.  309 

enemy.  To  the  inquiries  of  the  ladies,  he  replied  by  a  polite 
evasion,  while  he  evidently  sought  to  relieve  their  apprehensions. 
According  to  the  usage  of  the  family,  the  domestic  devotions 
were  to  follow  the  meal ;  but  the  master,  presuming  that  Gen 
eral  Jackson  must  be  too  busy  on  this  occasion  to  be  delayed 
by  them,  paused  to  give  him  an  opportunity  to  retire.  He, 
however,  requested  the  privilege  of  joining  in  them.  At  their 
close,  he  arose,  asked  that  a  lunch  be  placed  in  his  haversack, 
and  went  away  with  a  cheerful  good  evening,  —  merely  saying 
that  he  hoped  to  dine  with  them  on  the  morrow  as  usual.  His 
friends,  re-assured  by  his  air,  and  by  their  implicit  confidence  in 
his  prowess,  went  out  to  make  a  call.  In  an  hour,  the  General 
returned,  with  a  rapid  stride,  and  gave  the  door-bell  an  ener 
getic  ring.  Upon  learning  that  the  family  were  out,  he  left  with 
the  servants  a  request  that  their  master  should  repair  to  his 
head-quarters  immediately  after  his  return ;  and  they  said  that 
he  looked  anxious  and  hurried.  His  friend  hastened  down  to 
his  office,  and  found  him  prepared  for  mounting,  striding  across 
the  room  with  rapid  steps,  and  depressed  with  an  inexpressible 
weight  of  sadness.  General  Jackson  then  explained  that  it  was 
his  plan  to  march  the  army  back  by  night,  after  allowing  them 
time  to  refresh  themselves,  to  General  Banks 's  front,  and,  having 
made  his  dispositions  in  profound  silence,  to  begin  a  fierce 
attack  upon  him  at  the  "  small  hours  "  of  the  morning.  General 
Shields  had  not  yet  come  within  a  supporting  distance ;  but  by 
the  next  day  he  would  be  united  with  his  commanding  general, 
and  the  odds  would  then  be  so  enormous  that  it  would  be 
madness  to  resist  them.  General  Banks  had  an  army  of  new 
and  unsteady  troops,  half  intimidated  by  the  fame  and  valor 
of  the  Confederates,  while  the  latter  were  animated  by  a  tower 
ing  enthusiasm  and  confidence.  He  believed  that  the  darkness, 
the  suddenness  and  fury  of  his  attack,  the  lack  of  experience  in 


310  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

evolutions  among  the  Federalists,  would  throw  them  into  confu 
sion  ;  and,  by  the  vigorous  use  of  the  bayonet,  and  the  blessing 
of  the  Providence  in  which  he  trusted,  he  should  inflict  upon 
them  a  great  overthrow.  He  was  exceedingly  loath  to  leave 
the  gallant,  loyal,  and  generous  town,  with  all  the  line  country 
around  it,  to  their  ruthless  sway,  without  a  struggle.  But 
when  he  consulted  his  officers,  he  found  them  too  reluctant,  to 
permit  him  to  hope  for  a  successful  execution  of  his  plan. 
They  argued  that  the  troops  had  already  marched  ten  miles  to 
and  fro  that  day,  and  the  night  attack  would  require  a  farther 
journey  of  six  miles,  after  which  they  would  reach  the  scene  of 
action  too  much  wearied  to  effect  anything ;  and  that  there  was 
at  least  a  probability  of  an  advance  of  the  enemy  from  Berry- 
ville ;  which  would  place  them,  at  the  critical  moment,  upon  the 
right  and  rear  of  the  Confederates. 

As  he  detailed  these  facts,  General  Jackson  paced  his  floor  in 
painful  indecision,  and  repeated  an  expression  of  his  bitter 're 
luctance  to  leave  Winchester  without  one  brave  stroke  for  its 
defence.  Then  passing  full  before  the  candles,  he  lifted  up  his 
face  with  a  look  of  lofty  determination,  and  his  hand  convulsively 
grasped  the  hilt  of  his  sword,  while  he  slowly  hissed  through  his 
clenched  teeth  words  to  this  effect:  "But — Let  me  think — may 
I  not  execute  my  purpose  still  ?  "  As  he  uttered  this,  his  eye 
burned  with  a  fire  before  which  his  friend,  who  had  never  seen 
the  light  of  battle  in  his  face,  confessed  he  could  not  but  tremble. 
Then  releasing  his  sword,  he  dropped  his  head,  and  said,  "  No : 
I  must  not  do  it :  it  may  cost  the  lives  of  too  many  brave  men. 
I  must  retreat,  and  wait  for  a  better  time."  The  air  of  grief 
again  possessed  him,  and  he  proposed  to  return  to  his  friend's 
dwelling,  to  take  leave  of  his  family.  He  bade  them  a  sad  fare 
well,  but  said  he  hoped  a  good  Providence  would  enable  him 
soon  to  return,  and  bring  them  deliverance.  The  next  morning, 


MOVEMENTS  OP  M'CLELLAN   AND   JOHNSTON.  311 

at  dawn  of  clay,  the  Confederate  army  left  Winchester  for  Stras 
bourg,  and  at  9  o'clock,  A.  M.,  the  column  of  General  Banks 
began  cautiously  to  enter  it.  As  they  approached,  Colonel  Ash- 
by  slowly  withdrew  his  troopers  into  the  streets,  and  then 
through  the  town,  while  he  remained  the  last  man,  and  sat 
quietly  upon  his  horse,  until  the  enemy  had  approached  within  a 
short  distance ;  when  he  gave  his  defiant  shout,  and  galloped 
away.  The  Federalists  found  not  a  single  prisoner,  •  horse, 
musket,  or  wagon,  to  enrich  their  conquest.  The  citizens  of 
Winchester,  who  saw  their  nervous  timidity  at  the  thought  of 
Stonewall  Jackson's  proximity,  and  their  ignorance  of  his  real 
numbers,  were  convinced  that,  had  the  night  attack  been  made, 
they  would  have  been  utterly  routed.  General  Shields's  troops 
were  so  far  in  the  rear,  that  they  did  not  begin  to  arrive  until 
2  o'clock,  P.  M.,  and  it  is  therefore  manifest  that  the  affair  Avould 
have  been  decided,  before  they  reached  the  scene  of  action.  But 
the  panic  among  their  friends  would  not  have  been  slow  to 
propagate  itself  among  them. 

General  Jackson  wished,  after  once  surrendering  the  lower 
Valley,  to  draw  the  enemy  farther  into  the  country,  and  thus 
both  to  relieve  General  Johnston  of  their  pressure,  and  to  dimin 
ish  the  numbers  with  whom  he  would  be  required  to  deal  in 
his  front.  After  marching  to  Strasbourg,  twenty  miles  above 
Winchester,  the  12th  of  March,  he  retreated  slowly  to  the  neigh 
borhood  of  Mt.  Jackson,  reaching  it  the  17th.  There  he  received 
a  despatch  from  General  Johnston,  dated  March  19th,  stating  that 
it  was  most  desirable  the  enemy's  force  in  the  Valley  should  be 
detained  there,  and  prevented  from  reinforcing  General  M'Clel 
Ian.  To  effect  this,  he  requested  General  Jackson  to  return 
nearer  the  enemy,  and  remain  in  as  threatening  attitude  as  was 
practicable  without  compromising  the  safety  of  his  army.  The 
Commandcr-in-Chief  was  completing  that  hazardous  retreat 


312  LIFE    OF    LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

from  Manassa's  Junction  to  the  south  side  of  the  Rappahannock, 
begun  March  10th,  by  which  he  so  skilfully  delivered  his  army, 
and  its  whole  materiel,  from  the  jaws  of  his  powerful  enemy. 
M'Clellan  was  also  endeavoring  to  envelop  him  with  his  multi 
tudinous  hordes,  and,  to  this  end,  was  just  drawing  a  number  of 
regiments  from  the  army  of  Banks,  to  aid  in  turning  General 
Johnston's  left.  They  had  already  begun  their  march,  and  were 
preparing  to  cross  the  Blue  Ridge  at  Snicker's  Gap,  while  their 
General,  regarding  Jackson  as  a  fugitive  whom  it  was  vain  to 
pursue,  had  returned  to  Washington  to  boast  of  his  bloodless 
conquest,  leaving  the  remainder  of  his  army  in  charge  of  Gen 
eral  Shields.  Upon  receiving  the  orders  of  his  Commander-in- 
Chief,  the  Confederate  General  prepared  for  a  rapid  return 
towards  Winchester.  Leaving  the  neighborhood  of  Mount 
Jackson,  March  22d,  he  marched  that  day  to  Strasbourg,  twenty- 
six  miles;  while  Colonel  Ashby,  with  his  cavalry  and  a  light 
battery  of  three  guns,  advanced  before  him,  and  drove  the 
enemy's  outposts  into  Winchester.  The  rapidity  of  this  move 
ment  took  them  by  surprise.  The  troops  which  remained  with 
General  Shields  were  encamped  below  the  town,  and  Ashby 
found  only  a  feeble  force  in  his  front.  With  these  he  skir 
mished  actively  and  successfully ;  and,  in  the  combat,  an  explod 
ing  shell  from  one  of  his  guns  broke  the  arm  of  the  Federal 
Commander.  So  audacious  was  Ashby's  pursuit,  that  his  scouts 
privately  penetrated  the  town  of  Winchester,  and  communicated 
with  the  citizens.  The  latter,  knowing  that  many  regiments  had 
been  sent  towards  Manassa's,  by  Snicker's  Gap,  and  seeing  very 
few  remaining  near  the  town,  assisted  to  confirm  him  in  .the 
impression  of  the  paucity  of  the  enemy's  numbers.  He  accord 
ingly  sent  back  to  General  Jackson  the  assurance  that  there 
were  but  four  regiments  of  infantry  occupying  Winchester,  and 
that  they  were  preparing  to  return  to  Harper's  Ferry :  which 


JACKSON   ADVANCES   TO   KERNS10WN.  313 

encouraged  him,  in  turn,  to  push  forward  his  whole  force  on  the 
morning  of  the  23d.  Cut  the  alarmed  enemy  had  advanced  all 
the  forces  encamped  below  the  town,  and  had  sent  couriers  to 
recall  all  those  which  were  on  their  march  towards  Manassa's. 
When  the  General,  therefore,  reached  Barton's  Mills,  five  miles 
from  the  town,  at  noon  of  that  day,  he  found  Ashby  pressed 
back  to  the  highlands  south  of  Kernstown,  and  confronted  by 
considerable  masses  of  the  enemy. 

It  was  the  Sabbath  day  j  and  if  there  was  one  principle  of 
General  Jackson's  religion,  which  was  more  stringent  than  the 
others,  it  was  his  reverence  for  its  sanctity.  He  had  yielded  to 
the  demands  of  military  necessity,  so  far  as  to  march  on  the 
sacred  morning,  that  he  might  not  lose  the  advantages  which 
opportunity  seemed  to  place  within  his  reach ;  but  now  a  more 
inexorable  necessity  was  upon  him.  It  was  manifest  that  Colonel 
Ashby  had  been  deceived  in  his  estimate  of  the  force  opposed  to 
him ;  and  Jackson  had  reason  to  anticipate  that  General  John 
ston's  desire  to  have  the  powerful  army  of  Banks  recalled,  was 
fulfilled  too  efficaciously  for  his  own  safety.  The  region  about 
him,  and  in  his  rear,  was  a  beautiful  champaign;  swelling  with 
gentle  hills:  and  on  that  side  of  Cedar  Creek,  twelve  miles 
behind  him,  there  was  no  defensible  position  against  superior 
masses.  The  whole  country  was  practicable  for  the  manoeuvres 
of  cavalry  and  artillery.  To  delay,  therefore,  was  to  incur  the 
hazard  of  being  enclosed  in  the  overwhelming  numbers  of  the 
enemy :  already  it  was  doubtful  whether  a  prompt  retreat  would 
be  safely  concluded.  General  Jackson's  resolution  was  there 
fore  immediately  taken,  to  assail  the  enemy  on  the  spot,  and  win, 
if  not  a  decisive  victory,  at  least  the  privilege  of  an  unmolested 
retreat,  before  the  preponderance  against  him  became  more 
alarming  than  it  already  was.  In  the  force  with  which  he  pro 
posed  to  attack  them,  more  than  half  the  commissioned  officers 

40 


314  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

were  absent,  cither  on  furloughs  or  recruiting  service  j  for  a  few 
days  before,  it  was  supposed  that  the  cessation  of  the  enemy's 
pursuit  would  allow  a  period  of  quiet,  to  be  devoted  to  the 
needed  work  of  reorganization.  Many  of  the  men  were  also  at 
their  homes ;  so  that  after  deducting  the  stragglers  lurking  with 
the  baggage  train,  the  foot-sore,  whom  the  rapid  march  had  left 
behind,  and  a  regiment  detained  to  guard  the  equipage,  there 
were  but  two  thousand  seven  hundred  of  the  little  army  left,  to 
meet  the  enemy. 

The  great  road  crossing  the  Opequon  Creek,  a  quiet  mill 
stream,  five  miles  from  Winchester,  proceeds  thither  over  a  series 
of  long  and  gentle  slopes,  through  a  country  smiling  with  fer 
tility,  and  almost  denuded  of  its  forests.  Two  miles  from  the 
Opequon,  after  surmounting  a  moderate  ridge,  it  reaches  Kerns- 
town,  a  hamlet  of  a  dozen  houses,  seated  in  the  midst  of  meadows, 
three  miles  from  Winchester.  All  the  vicinity  was  divided  into 
farms,  by  stone  fences,  which  also  lined  the  highway  continuously. 
Here,  there  was  nothing  in  the  nature  of  the  ground  to  offer 
advantage  to  the  smaller  force.  A  mile  to  the  left,  or  west  of 
the  Turnpike,  fs  a  country  road,  which  also  crosses  the  Opequon 
and  passing  through  gently  undulating  farms,  converges  towards 
Winchester,  in  such  a  direction  as  to  meet  the  main  thoroughfare 
at  the  nearer  side  of  the  town.  And  west  of  this  country  road, 
there  is  an  elevated  ridge  parallel  to  it,  terminated  at  its  rear, 
or  southwestern  end,  by  the  Opequon,  which  curves  around  it. 
This  range  of  hills,  after  running  forward  for  two  miles  towards 
the  town,  sinks  into  the  plain.  Although  elevated  enough  to 
command  the  whole  neighborhood,  it  is  not  craggy,  but  so 
rounded,  as  to  permit  the  ascent  of  artillery ;  and  it  is  clothed 
with  forests,  with  a  few  small  fields  interspersed,  and  notched 
by  successive  depressions,  which  descend  into  ravines  between 
the  lateral  spurs  of  the  hill.  West  of  this  ridge  is  another  vale, 


BATTLE   OF   KERNSTOWN.  315 

filled  with  meadows  and  farm-houses,  among  which  the  ascend 
ing  course  of  the  stream  threads  its  way  parallel  to  the  main 
crest.  The  larger  part  of  the  fields  here,  likewise,  were 
enclosed  by  fences  of  limestone,  which,  rising  to  the  height  of 
four  feet,  offered  a  very  adequate  breastwork  against  the  fire  of 
musketry.  A  mile  west  of  the  region  last  described,  still 
another  road  passes  in  the  direction  of  Winchester,  called  the 
Cedar  Creek  Turnpike.  This  route  manifestly  gave  the  enemy 
access  to  the  left  and  rear  of  the  Confederates. 

General  Jackson's  plan  was  to  contest  the  wooded  ridge  with 
the  enemy ;  for  upon  it  rested  their  right  flank,  and  its  heights 
gave  their  artillery  commanding  positions  whence  they  could 
sweep  all  the  champaign  between  it  and  the  great  road.  With 
their  wings  thus  supported,  the  one  by  the  hills,  and  the  other 
upon  Kernstown,  and  their  centre  strengthened  with  fourfold 
numbers  of  infantry  and  artillery,  an  attack  in  front  gave  no 
promise  of  success.  The  only  hopeful  project  for  the  inferior 
force  taking  the  aggressive,  was,  to  amuse  the  enemy's  centre 
and  left,  while  the  main  body  availed  itself  of  the  covert  and 
strength  of  the  same  heights,  which  were  occupied  at  their 
northern  end  by  them,  and  to  direct  the  whole  weight  of  the 
assault  against  their  right.  The  obvious  mode  for  effecting  this 
.would  have  appeared  to  be  to  ascend  the  ridge  at  its  southwest 
ern  end,  and  thus  proceed  along  its  crest ;  but  such  a  movement 
was  forbidden  by  an  extensive  pond,  formed  on  the  Opequon  for 
feeding  a  mill,  whose  waters  embraced  that  extremity  of  the 
hill.  General  Jackson  was  compelled,  therefore,  to  march  his 
infantry  and  artillery  obliquely  from  the  great  road  to  the  hills, 
under  a  hot  cannonade  from  the  enemy,  without  the  ability  to 
return  his  fire  at  that  time.  But  the  movement  was  effected 
without  loss,  and  without  confusion.  About  4  o'clock  in  the 
afternoon,  the  following  dispositions  were  completed.  On  his 


316  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

extreme  right,  which  rested  upon  the  turnpike  in  front  of  Kerns- 
town,  he  posted  Colonel  Ashby,  with  his  battery  of  three  guns, 
all  his  cavalry,  except  four  companies  detached  for  the  left,  and 
four  companies  of  infantry  from  the  Stonewall  Brigade.  These 
were  ordered  to  occupy  the  attention  of  the  enemy's  left  by  a 
constant  cannonade,  and  to  press  them  as  opportunity  might 
permit.  Next  to  the  turnpike  was  placed  the  5th  Virginia 
regiment,  to  hold  a  mile  of  space,  and  to  watch  the  enemy's 
centre.  Effective  resistance  from  so  small  a  force  was,  of 
course,  not  to  be  expected;  but  General  Jackson  relied  upon 
his  artillery,  commanding  the  country  along  which  they  must 
advance  if  they  assumed  the  aggressive  from  the  centre,  and  yet 
more  upon  the  engrossing  occupation  which  he  expected  to  give 
them,  upon  their  right  wing,  to  hold  that  part  of  their  army  in 
check.  Nor  was  he  disappointed  of  this  hope.  His  main  line 
of  battle  was  finally  formed,  with  no  small  interval  between  it 
and  the  regiment  last  named,  obliquely  across  the  wooded  ridge, 
with  his  left  advanced.  Next  the  right  were  the  42d  and  21st 
regiments  of  Virginia  Volunteers,  and  the  1st  battalion  of 
Virginia  Regulars,  composing  the  2d  brigade,  under  the  com 
mand  of  Colonel  Burks.  Next  to  these  on  the  left,  was  the 
Stonewall  Brigade,  with  the  2d  regiment  on  its  right,  and  then 
the  33d,  the  27th,  and  the  4th.  The  left  of  the  infantry  line 
was  composed  of  the  two  regiments  of  the  3d  brigade,  the  37th 
and  23d,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Fulkerson.  These 
occupied  the  farther,  or  western,  side  of  the  ridge.  Beyond  the 
meadows  which  lay  at  its  base,  four  companies  of  cavalry  were 
stationed  on  a  hill  which  overlooks  the  country  to  the  Cedar 
Creek  turnpike,  to  check  the  insults  of  the  enemy's  horse.  The 
batteries  were  posted  in  the  centre  in  front  of  the  Stonewall 
Brigade  j  for  their  line  passed  across  the  higher  grounds,  most 
suitable  for  the  position  of  artillery. 


BATTLE   OF   KERNSTOWN.  317 

Thus  disposed,  the  little  army  advanced  against  the  enemy, 
with  its  left  continually  thrown  forward,  through  the  alternate 
woods  and  fields  which  covered  the  sides  and  crest  of  the  high 
lands.  After  a  spirited  cannonade,  by  which  several  batteries 
of  the  enemy  were  silenced,  the  infantry  engaged  with  inex 
pressible  fury,  at  close  quarters,  the  27th  regiment  leading  off. 
In  some  places,  the  lines  were  advanced  within  twenty  paces, 
partially  shielded  from  each  other  by  the  abrupt  little  ravines, 
where  the  Confederates,  lying  upon  their  breasts  behind  the 
protuberances  of  the  ground,  or  retiring  a  few^  steps  into  the 
hollow  places  to  reload,  held  their  enemies  at  bay  by  their 
scathing  discharges.  As  regiment  after  regiment  came  into 
position,  their  heroic  General  led  them  into  the  hottest  of  the 
fire ;  and  wherever  the  line  wavered  under  overwhelming  num 
bers,  he  was  present,  to  cheer  the  fainting  men,  and  bring  up 
the  reinforcements.  But  he  had  no  reserves,  save  the  5th  Vir 
ginia,  which  was  speedily  released  from  its  first  position  by  the 
inactivity  of  the  enemy  in  that  quarter,  and  the  48th,  left  as  a 
baggage  guard.  Only  the  former  of  these  came  up  in  time  to 
share  in  the  action,  and  was  introduced  to  reinforce  the  2d 
brigade  between  the  42d  and  21st,  where  it  bore  its  full  share 
of  the  glories  and  dangers  of  the  combat.  On  the  Federal 
side,  the  superior  numbers  enabled  them  perpetually  to  bring  up 
fresh  troops.  As  one  regiment  recoiled,  reeling  and  panic- 
struck,  it  was  replaced  again  and  again  by  another;  and  the 
officers,  secure  of  victory  from  their  preponderating  force,  were 
seen  riding  madly  behind  the  wavering  lines,  goading  their  men 
to  the  work  with  the  sabre.  The  Confederates,  on  the  other 
hand,  having  no  succors,  fought  until  they  exhausted  their  am 
munition.  As  the  men  fired  their  last  cartridge,  their  officers 
allowed  them  to  go  to  the  rear  j  and  after  a  time,  the  thinned 
lines  presented  no  adequate  resistance  to  the  fresh  crowds  of 


318  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

enemies.  Near  nightfall,  General  Richard  B.  Garnett,  com 
manding  the  Stonewall  Brigade,  in  the  centre,  seeing  his  fire 
dying  away  for  lack  of  ammunition,  and  his  line  pierced  on  his 
right,  assumed  the  responsibility  of  authorizing  a  retreat  of  his 
command,  without  orders  from  General  Jackson  j  and  nothing 
now  remained,  but  to  protect  the  movement  from  more  serious 
disaster. 

Where  every  regiment  fought  with  steady  heroism,  and  none 
retired  until  they  had  fired  the  last  round  from  their  cartridge- 
boxes,  detailed  exploits  can  scarcely  be  singled  out,  without 
injustice  to  the  men  passed  over  in  silence.  But  a  few  particu 
lars,  in  which  the  actors  possessed,  not  more  courage,  but  more 
opportunity,  should  be  described,  as  having  a  decisive  influence 
on  the  battle.  On  the  right,  Colonel  Ashby  cannonaded  the 
enemy  continually  with  his  three  guns,  with  such  audacity,  as  to 
win  ground  all  the  day  from  their  multitudes.  They  advanced 
their  infantry  through  a  tract  of  woodland,  to  seize  his  pieces ; 
when  his  four  infantry  companies,  thrown  forward  as  skirmish 
ers,  scoured  the  forest  with  enthusiastic  courage,  and  repulsed 
the  attacking  party,  until  the  artillery  was  again  posted  in  a 
more  secure  position.  Later  in  the  day,  this  daring  leader 
executed  a  cavalry  charge  against  the  extreme  left  of  the  Fed 
eralists,  drove  their  first  line  back  upon  their  reserves,  and 
captured  a  few  prisoners.  In  that  quarter,  they  advanced  no 
more  during  the  day.  Upon  the  left,  where  the  advance  was 
first  confided  to  the  27th  and  21st  regiments,  supported  by 
Colonel  Fulkerson,  and  Carpenter's  and  McLauchlin's  batteries, 
the  guns  were  advanced  with  great  spirit  under  the  eye  of 
General  Jackson,  delivering  an  effective  fire  towards  the  right 
and  front.  The  infantry  engagement  was  opened  by  the  27th, 
seconded  by  the  21st;  and  these  two  regiments  sustained  the 
whole  brunt  of  the  fire  with  unsurpassed  heroism,  until  Colonel 


BATTLE   OF   KERNSTOWN.  319 

Fulkerson  passed  to  their  left,  and  the  remainder  of  the  Stone 
wall  Brigade  came  up.  Twice  they  routed  their  assailants  in 
quick  succession,  and  held  the  Federalist  army  in  check  while 
the  line  of  battle  was  completed.  In  the  centre,  the  5th  and 
42nd  regiments,  with  the*  batteries  of  McLauchlin  and  Carpen 
ter,  were  the  last  upon  the  field.  While  the  enemy  pressed  up 
to  close  quarters,  and  shot  down  the  horses  and  gunners  at  the 
pieces,  the  latter  replied  with  murderous  discharges  of  canister 
shot,  at  the  distance  of  a  hundred  paces.  This  determined 
resistance  saved  the  batteries,  with  the  exception  of  two  guns, 
of  which  one  was  disabled,  and  the  other  entangled  in  a  fence, 
and  of  four  caissons,  whose  horses  were  slaughtered.  On  the 
left,  Colonel  Fulkerson,  upon  becoming  warmly  engaged,  per 
ceived  between  him  and  the  enemy,  a  long  stone  fence,  to  which 
each  party  was  advancing,  intending  to  employ  it  as  a  breast 
work  against  the  other.  The  boldness  of  the  Confederates 
secured  them  that  advantage.  Reaching  the  covert  a  moment 
in  advance  of  the  enemy,  they  fell  upon  their  knees,  and  deliv 
ered  a  volley  so  withering,  that  the  whole  line  before  them 
seemed  to  sink  into  the  earth.  The  larger  part  of  the  Federal 
ists  were  indeed  killed  or  wounded  by  that  unerring  fire ;  and 
the  remainder,  to  escape  instant  death,  prostrated  themselves, 
and  attempted  to  crawl  to  the  rear.  But  in  this  endeavor, 
nearly  all  perished ;  the  mountain  riflemen  picked  them  off  with 
deadly  aim,  before  they  reached  the  shelter  of  the  wood.  The 
regiment  thus  annihilated  was  said  to  be  the  5th  Ohio.  A  New 
York  regiment,  coming  to  their  aid,  escaped  with  a  fate  little 
less  terrible ;  for  when  they  sheltered  themselves  behind  another 
stone  fence  running  to  that  occupied  by  Colonel  Fulkerson  at 
right  angles,  and  endeavored  to  fusillade  the  Confederates  from 
its  shelter,  that  skilful  commander  moved  a  part  of  his  line 
down,  along  his  own  defence,  to  a  point  below  the  juncture  of 


320  LIFE    OF    LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

the  two  walls,  whence  he  delivered  an  enfilading  fire  upon  the 
exposed -rear  of  the  astonished  Federalists.  But  finding  the 
centre  of  the  Confederate  line  broken,  at  nightfall  he  retired  in 
good  order,  bringing  off  his  two  little  regiments  in  safety.  The 
four  companies  of  cavalry  upon  the  extreme  left  had  been 
instructed  by  General  Jackson  to  hold  themselves  prepared  to 
charge  the  enemy  should  he  retreat,  or  to  protect  the  Confeder 
ate  infantry,  should  it  be  forced  to  that  alternative.  They  now 
rendered  good  service,  by  holding  in  check,  and  ultimately 
putting  to  flight,  the  Federal  cavalry,  which  had  made  a  circuit 
by  the  Cedar  Creek  turnpike,  and  sought  to  interrupt  the  retreat 
of  their  friends.  But  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Opequon.  a 
number  of  the  fugitives  found  themselves  enclosed,  at  dark, 
between  the  mill-pond  and  the  enemy,  and  were  thus  captured. 
The  infantry  retreated  a  few  miles  to  the  neighborhood  of  New- 
town,  while  the  cavalry  of  Colonel  Ashby  took  its  station  at 
Barton's  Mills,  a  mile  in  the  rear  of  the  field  of  combat,  and 
held  the  enemy  in  check  until  10  o'clock  of  the  next  rnornino- 

O 

General  Jackson  himself,  begging  a  morsel  of  food  at  the 
bivouac  fire  of  the  soldiers,  lay  down  in  the  field,  to  snatch  a 
few  hours'  repose,  a  little  in  the  rear  of  his  outposts. 

Such  was  the  battle  of  Kernstown,  —  in  which  twenty-seven 
hundred  Confederates,  with  eighteen  guns,  attacked  eleven  thou 
sand  Federalists,  and  almost  wrested  the  victory  from  their 
hands.  For  General  Jackson  estimated  their  force  actually 
engaged  at  that  number,  besides  heavy  reserves  upon  their  left 
which  were  not  brought  into  action.  The  next  morning,  while 
remarking  upon  the  struggle,  he  said:  "Had  I  been  able  to 
bring  up  two  thousand  more  men,  I  should  have  beaten  them." 
The  officer  to  whom  he  spoke  replied  by  referring  to  the  dense 
masses  of  unbroken  infantry  hanging  behind  Kernstown,  and 
expressed  the  opinion  that  any  success  won  by  so  small  a  force 


FURY   OF   BATTLE.  321 

must  liavc  been  unavailing,  because  these  reserves,  by  threaten 
ing  his  right,  would  have  compelled  him  to  arrest  his  career. 
Jackson  answered :  "  No ;  if  I  had  put  the  men  engaged  to  flight, 
they  would  all  have  gone  together."  The  troops  marshalled 
against  him  were  unquestionably  the  best  in  the  Federal  army, 
composed  chiefly  of  hardy  Western  men,  habituated  from  child 
hood  to  field  sports  and  the  use  of  fire-arms ;  and  while  those 
who  have  a  visible  odds  of  four  to  one  upon  their  side  deserve 
but  little  credit  for  their  boldness,  and  would  have  no  excuse  for 
their  panic,  the  perseverance  with  which  the  Federal  regiments 
brought  their  weight  of  numbers  to  bear  against  the  Confeder 
ates,  notwithstanding  bloody  losses,  is  some  testimony  to  their 
manhood.  General  Jackson's  loss  was  eighty  killed  outright, 
three  hundred  and  seventy-seven  wounded,  and  two  hundred  and 
sixty  captured,  —  making  a  total  of  seven  hundred  and  seven 
teen,  or  more  than  one  fourth  of  the  whole  force  engaged.  The 
loss  of  the  enemy  was  never  divulged ;  but  there  are  reasons  for 
believing  that  it  was  nearly  quadruple  that  of  the  patriots.  Their 
officers  reported  their  killed  as  four  hundred  and  eighteen.  The 
loyal  citizens  of  Winchester  were  permitted  to  perform  the  last 
offices  to  the  Confederate  dead  upon  the  field  of  battle ;  and,  as 
they  collected  the  glorious  remains,  they  had  an  opportunity  to 
observe  that  the  slain  invaders  lay  four  times  as  thick.  Hundreds 
of  corpses  were  sent  by  railroad  to  their  northern  friends  for 
interment,  and  many  more  must  have  remained,  unhonored  and 
forgotten,  to  find  their  common  tomb  in  the  pits  of  the  battle 
field.  The  generous  women  of  Winchester  demanded  and 
obtained  leave  to  carry  their  ministrations  of  love  to  the. Confed 
erate  wounded  in  the  hospitals  of  the  enemy,  —  for  many  of  the- 
captives  were  also  wounded,  —  and  thus  they  were  enabled  to- 
estimate  the  numbers  of  disabled  men  belonging  to  the  other 
party.  The  unfortunate  5th  Ohio,  in  particular,  filled  hundreds- 

41 


322  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

of  cots  with  its  wounded.  From  the  testimony  of  these  witnesses; 
it  is  believed  that  as  many  men  were  disabled  by  Jackson  in  the 
enemy's  ranks  as  he  had  soldiers  in  his  own.  Their  greater 
loss  is  to  be  accounted  for  by  his  skill  in  handling  his  forces,  by 
the  superior  accuracy  of  the  Virginians'  aim,  by  their  discipline 
and  deliberate  courage,  and  by  the  density  of  the  enemy's 
ranks,  which  hardly  permitted  a  well-directed  shot  to  miss  its 
object. 

This  was  the  first  pitched  battle  in  which  General  Jackson 
had  supreme  command,  and  it  was  fought  exclusively  by  Vir 
ginians,  except  that  a  few  Marylanders  participated  in  its 
dangers.  Its  effect  was  to  raise  the  estimate  of  the  prowess 
both  of  soldiers  and  leader  to  an  exalted  height ;  and  from  this 
day,  the  great  qualities  of  the  Virginian  soldiery,  depreciated 
at  first  by  their  own  Southern  brethren,  but  illustrated  and 
redeemed  at  Manassa's,  have  shone  forth  unquestioned  by  all. 
Kcrnstown  has  remained,  among  the  many  more  bloody  days, 
when  greater  hosts  pursued  the  work  of  slaughter  in  this  san 
guinary  war,  a  name  expressive  of  the  sternest  fighting,  to  the 
Confederates,  to  spectators,  and  to  the  Federalists.  The 
soldiers  of  the  old  Jackson  division,  when  describing  the  hor 
rors  of  some  subsequent  struggle,  are  wont  to  say  that  it  almost 
reminded  them  of  Kernstown.  The  peaceful  citizens  of  Win 
chester,  who  have  met  the  strange  fate  of  having  their  ears  grow 
more  familiar  with  the  sounds  of  battle  than  those  of  many  a 
veteran,  still  declare  that  none  of  the  tempests  of  war  which 
have  howled  around  their  devoted  town  raged  like  that  of 
Kernstown,  witli  cannonade  so  fast  and  furious,  and  such  rever 
berating  roars  of  musketry.  The  Federal  soldiery,  after 
timidly  pursuing  the  Confederates  the  next  day  for  a  few  miles, 
returned  to  their  quarters,  with  no  triumph  upon  their  tongues, 
<or  in  then-  countenances.  Their  commander,  with  the  usual 


CARE   OP   THE  WOUNDED.  323 

gasconade  of  the  Federal  Generals,  claimed  a  brilliant  victory  j 
but  his  boasts  awoke  no  answering  enthusiasm  among  his  fol 
lowers.  The  deadly  energy  of  Jackson's  blows  filled  them 
with  gloom  and  dread,  as  they  asked  themselves,  what  was  the 
task  which  they  had  undertaken,  in  seeking  to  conquer  this 
people  in  their  consolidated  strength,  whose  resistance,  in  their 
weakness  and  disorganization,  was  so  terrible.  To  this  sombre 
impression,  the  spirit  of  the  captives  and  the  oppressed  people 
contributed  no  little.  The  former,  as  they  passed  through  the 
streets  to  their  prisons,  were  joyous  arid  defiant,  the  sympathies 
of  the  patriotic  multitude  converted  their  progress  rather  into 
an  ovation  than  a  defeat,  and  they  rent  the  air  with  shouts 
for  their  country  and  General,  which  their  gloomy  captors, 
durst  hot  suppress.  The  very  scenes  upon  the  field  of  blood, 
harrowing  as  they  were,  intimidated  the  Federal  spectators. 
The  regiments  which  suffered  most  in  Jackson's  command,  were 
raised  in  the  lower  Valley,  and  in  the  town  itself. .  As  soon  as 
the  permission  was  given  to  the  Mayor  and  citizens,  to  bury  the 
dead  of  their  defenders,  they  flocked  thither  upon  this  errand 
of  grief  and  mercy.  The  cultivated  and  accomplished  female, 
the  minister  of  religion,  the  tottering  grandfather,  were  seen 
together,  in  all  the  abandon  of  their  anguish,  running  to  and  fro, 
pouring  water  into  the  parched  lips  of  the  wounded,  composing 
the  convulsed  limbs  of  the  slain  into  decency,  and  looking 
eagerly  into  every  begrimed  and  haggard  face  of  dead  or  dying, 
to  recognize  a  son,  a  husband,  or  a  brother.  Yet,  amidst  all 
these  horrors,  the  very  women  were  as  determined  as  the  brave 
men  whose  fate  they  bewailed,  and  arose  from  beside  the 
corpses  whose  discovery  had  just  informed  them  of  their  be 
reavement,  to  declare  to  their  invaders  that  none  of  these 
miseries,  nor  death  itself,  should  bend  their  souls  to  submission. 
Yet  these  same  women,  with  a  generosity  equal  to  their  heroism, 


324  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

divided  their  cares  and  gifts  between  wounded  friends  and  foes 
in  the  hospitals  where  they  languished  together. 

General  Jackson  had  directed  his  wounded  to  be  gathered  at 
the  village  of  Middlctown,  eight  miles  above  the  field  of  battle. 
Intending  to  retreat  to  a  strong  position  above  Cedar  Creek, 
and  there  stand  on  the  defensive,  he  had  instructed  his  Medical 
Director  to  collect  every  vehicle  which  was  available,  and  send 
the  sufferers  to  the  rear,  before  the  army  retired.     The  morning 
was  approaching,  and  that  officer,  after  working  all  the  night 
at  the  humane  task,  and  employing  every  carriage  which  he 
could  procure,  found   a   large   number   of  wounded   awaiting 
removal  still.     On  meeting  the  General,  he  informed  him  of 
this,  and  added  that  he  knew  not  where  the  transportation  was 
to  be  obtained,  and  that  unless  sonic  expedient  were  discovered 
these  brave  men  must  be  left  to  the  enemy.     General  Jackson 
ordered  him  to  have  the  necessary  vehicles  impressed  from  the 
people  of  the  vicinage.     "But,"  said  the  surgeon,  "that  requires 
time ;   can  you  stay  to  protect  us  ?  "     "  Make  yourself  easy," 
said  Jackson,  "  about  that.     This  army  stays  here  till  the  last 
wounded  man  is  removed."     And  then,  with  a  glow  of  passion 
suffusing  his  face,  he  cried ;  "  Before  I  will  leave  them  to  the 
enemy,  I  will  lose  many  men  more."     It  was  such  traits  as 
these,  which  made  him  the  idol  of  his  soldiery.     It  is  related 
of  the  great  Bruce,  that,  while  retreating  before  his  enemies,  in 
his  expedition  to  Ireland,  the  distress  of  a  poor  laundress,  who 
was  too  helpless  to  follow  .the  army,  and  was  therefore  about  to 
be  abandoned  to  the  savage  pursuers,  touched  his  heart.     He 
halted  the  host,  and  said ;  "  Gentlemen,  is  there  one  of  us  who 
was  born  of  a  woman,  so  base  as  to  leave  this  poor  soul  to  her 
fate?     No:  let  us  rather  die  with  her."     And  he  then  drew  up 
his  men  in  line  of  battle,  to  await  the  enemy;  but  they,  suppos 
ing  he  had  received  reinforcements,  or  was  more  powerful  than 


KESULTS   OP   BATTLE.  325 

his  former  retreat  indicated,  recoiled,  and  feared  to  assault  him. 
In  like  manner,  the  bold  front  which  Jackson  assumed,  held  the 
enemy  at  a  respectful  distance.  They  did  not  venture  to  annoy 
him,  save  by  a  few  cannon-shot ;  and,  after  the  first  day,  discon 
tinued  their  pursuit.  He  retired  to  the  neighborhood  of  Wood 
stock;  and  thus,  in  three  days,  his  army  marched  seventy-five 
miles,  and  fought  a  hardly  contested  pitched  battle. 

The  battle  of  Kernstown,  was  technically,  a  victory  of  the 
Federalists.  They  held  the  field,  the  dead,  and  the  wounded. 
But,  like  those  of  Pyrrhus  at  Heraclea,  and  of  Cornwallis  at 
Guilford,  it  was  a  victory  with  the  results  of  a  defeat.  The 
conquerors,  crippled  by  their  losses,  and  terrified  by  the  resist 
ance  which  they  met,  dared  not. press  the  retreating  Confeder*- 
ates.  But  above  all,  the  object  of  the  battle  was  won  by  General 
Jackson.  The  Federal  army  in  the  Valley  was  detained  there, 
and  the  troops  which  were  on  their  way  to  Manassa's  to  in 
crease  the  embarrassments  of  General  Johnston,  were  recalled. 
The  army  of  the  latter  extricated  itself  from  its  perilous 
situation,  and  retired  in  safety  behind  the  Rappahannock,  while 
M'Clellan,  foiled  in  his  plans,  arrested  his  advance  at  Manassa's, 
and  began  to  consider  the  policy  of  transferring  the  campaign 
to  the  Peninsula. 

Yet,  General  Jackson  was  not  satisfied  with  the  results,  and 
insisted  that  a  more  resolute  struggle  for  the  field  might  have 
won  it,  even  against  the  fearful  odds  opposed  to  him.  The 
chief  error  of  the  battle,  he  believed,  was  the  unexpected 
retreat  of  the  Stonewall  Brigade  from  the  centre;  for  this 
necessitated  the  surrender  of  the  field.  His  disapprobation 
was  strongly  expressed  against  its  brave  General,  Garnett.  nor 
was  he  willing  to  accept  the  justification,  that  their  ammunition 
was  expended.  A  regiment  of  reserves  was  at  hand,  and  the 
bayonet,  his  favorite  resource,  yet  remained  to  them;  and  he 


326  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

did  not  consider  all  the  means  of  victory  as  exhausted,  until  the 
naked  steel  was  employed.  Justice  to  one  now  dead,  requires 
that  these  facts  should  also  be  stated :  that  General  Garn'ett's 
gallantry  was  declared  by  the  officers  of  his  brigade,  to  be 
conspicuous  on  this  bloody  field ;  that  they  concurred  with  him 
in  the  opinion,  that  the  troops  were  not  withdrawn  too  soon  to 
save  them  from  destruction ;  and  that  proceedings  against  him 
were  dismissed,  and  he  was  again  employed  by  the  Government 
in  a  most  honorable  post,  in  which  he  surrendered  his  life  at  the 
battle  of  Gettysburg.  It  is  neither  necessary  nor  practicable 
to  pass  a  correct  judgment  upon  the  question,  whether  General 
Jackson's  animadversions  upon  his  conduct  at  Kernstown  were 
erroneous.  It  is  enough  to  testify,  that  all  men  regarded  them 
as  consistent  with  the  justice  of  his  intentions.  This  instance 
may  serve  to  show  Jackson's  rigid  ideas  of  official  dutjr,  which 
were  always  more  exacting,  as  men  rose  in  rank. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  the  army  retreated  to  a  range  of  high 
lands  overlooking  the  North  Branch  of  the  Shenandoah,  five 
miles  below  the  town  of  Newmarket,  called  Reede's  Hill.  The 
stream  is  bordered  here  by  a  wide  expanse  of  fertile  meadows, 
over  which  this  hill  dominates;  and  artillery  posted  upon  it 
commands  the  bridge  by  which  the  great  highway  crosses 
it.  The  Federal  forces,  again  under  the  command  of  General 
Banks,  now  advanced  by  slow  and  cautious  steps  to  the  opposing 
hills,  whence,  for  many  days,  they  cannonaded  the  Confederates 
without  effect.  General  Jackson,  meantime,  keeping  Colonel 
Ashby  in  front,  busied  himself  in  refitting  his  crippled  artillery, 
and  recruiting  his  forces.  The  10th  Virginia  regiment  joined  him, 
and  was  assigned  to  the  3d  brigade,  to  which  Brigadier-Gen 
eral  Wm.  B.  Taliaferro  was  now  promoted.  His  men  returned 
rapidly  from  hospitals  and  furloughs,  and  a  multitude  of  new 
recruits  poured  in,  inspired  by  the  growing  fame  of  the  General, 


IMPERFECT   ORGANIZATION.  327 

and  the  urgency  of  their  country's  danger.  Especially  was  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  people  stimulated  by  the  chivalrous  and 
modest  courage  of  Ashby,  whose  name  roused  the  thrilling 
hearts  of  the  youth,  like  the  peal  of  a  clarion.  His  regiment 
of  troopers  was  speedily  swelled  to  twenty-one  companies,  and 
more  than  two  thousand  men.  Including  these,  General  Jackson's 
aggregate  force  now  mounted  up  to  more  than  eleven  thousand. 
But  the  irregularities  and  official  neglects  which  have  been 
described  were  still  lurking  in  all  the  regiments,  and  prevalent 
in  the  cavalry.  Colonel  Ashby  had  little  genius  for.  organization 
and  discipline;  tasks  which,  at  best,  are  arduous  in  a  force 
continually  scattered  upon  outposts,  and  harassed  by  hard 
ships,  and  which  were  impracticable  for  a  commander  seconded 
by  few  competent  officers,  and  compelled  to  launch  his  raw 
levies  at  once  into  the  employments  of  veteran  troopers.  The 
continuance  of  this  imperfect  organization  was  caused  by  the 
indiscreet  action  of  the  War  Department  itself.  The  Secretary, 
dazzled  by  Colonel  Ashby 's  fame  and  exploits,  had  given  him 
independent  authority  to  raise  and  command  a  cavalry  force. 
When  General  Jackson  attempted  to  stretch  his  vigorous  hand 
over  that  part  of  his  army,  so  as  to  bring  order  out  of  con 
fusion,  he  was  met  with  a  reference  to  this  -separate  authority, 
and  a  threat  of  resignation.  Knowing  Colonel  Ashby's  ascend 
ancy  over  his  men,  and  finding  himself  thus  deprived  of  legiti 
mate  power,  he  was  constrained  to  pause,  and  leave  the  cavalry 
unorganized  and  undisciplined.  Colonel  Ashby  and  a  Major 
were  the  only  field-officers  for  the  twenty-one  companies ;  nor 
had  they  any  regimental  organization  whatever.  The  evils  and 
disasters  growing  out  of  the  crude  condition  of  this  force  will 
manifest  themselves  in  the  subsequent  narrative.  They  give  a 
valuable  illustration  of  the  importance  of  those  principles 
of  military  order  and  subordination,  established  by  experience, 


328  4LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

and  of  the  danger  of  such  departures  from  them  as  that  of  the 
Secretary  of  War  in  making  Colonel  Ashby  independent  of  his 
commanding  General.  Of  his  great  command,  one  half  was 
rarely  available  for  duty,  while  the  remainder  were  roaming 
over  the  country,  imposing  upon  the  generous  hospitalities 
of  the  citizens,  or  lurking  in  their  homes.  The  exploits  of  their 
famous  leader  were  all  performed  with  a  few  hundreds,  or 
often  scores,  of  men  who  followed  him  from  personal  devotion 
rather  than  the  force  of  discipline.  Thus,  the  effective  force 
which  General  Jackson  was  now  able  to  wield  against  the 
enemy,  may  be  correctly  estimated  as  seven  or  eight  thousand 
men,  with  thirty  guns. 

The  position  on  Reedc's  Hill,  with  so  strong  an  artillery, 
was  impregnable  in  front.  But  while,  on  the  right,  it  was 
supported  upon  the  Masanuttin  Mountain,  on  the  left  it  could 
be  turned  with  facility  by  fords  of  the  North  River,  above 
the  main  bridge,  which  were  practicable  in  all  dry  seasons. 
Luckily,  the  melting  snows  of  the  western  mountains  concurred 
with  the  rains  of  spring,  to  swell  the  current,  and  General 
Jackson  continued  to  hold  the  position  until  he  should  be  more 
seriously  menaced  by  Banks.  Its  chief  value  to  him  was  in 
the  fact,  that  it  covered  the  juncture  of  the  great  Valley  turn 
pike,  at  New  Market,  with  that  which  leads  across  the  Masanuttin, 
by  Luray,  the  seat  of  justice  for  Page  County,  to  Culpepper. 
The  head-quarters  of  General  Johnston,  with  the  army  of 
North  Virginia,  were  now  at  that  place,  about  fifty  miles 
distant  from  General  Jackson;  and  it  was  desirable  to  hold 
possession  of  the  route,  that  a. speedy  union  of  the  two  armies 
might  be  effected,  should  necessity  demand  it.  The  next 
movements  thence  inaugurated  a  new  arrangement  of  the 
forces  upon  the  theatre  of  war.  The  chapter  will  therefore 
.be  closed  with  a  few  brief  extracts  from  General  Jackson's 


CORRESPONDENCE.  •       329 

le  Jers  to  his  wife,  illustrating  the  events  which  have  just  been 
narrated. 

March  24th,  just  after  the  battle  of  Kernstown,  he  wrote : 

"  Our  God  was  my  shield.  His  protecting  care  is  an  addi 
tional  cause  for  gratitude."  .  .  .  .  "  My  little  army  is  in  excel 
lent  spirits:  it  feels  that  it  inflicted  a  severe  blow  on  the 
enemy." 

April  7th.  "  I  trust  you  and  all  I  have  in  the  hands  of  an 
ever  kind  Providence,  knowing  that  all  things  work  together  for 
the  good  of  his  people.  So  live  that  your  sufferings  may  be 
sanctified  to  you;  remembering  that  our  "Light  afflictions,  which 
are  but  for  a  moment,  work  out  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and 
eternal  weight  of  glory."  [In  allusion  to  the  illness  of  his  wife.] 

"  Our  gallant  little  army  is  increasing  in  numbers,  and  my 
prayer  is,  that  it  may  be  an  army  of  the  living  God,  as  well  as 
of  its  country.  Yesterday  was  a  lovely  Sabbath  day.  Though 
I  had  not  the  privilege  of  hearing  the  word  of  life,  yet  it  felt 
like  a  holy  Sabbath  day,  beautiful,  serene,  holy  and  lovely.  All 
it  wanted  was  the  church  bell,  and  God's  services  in  the  sanctu 
ary,  to  make  it  complete After  God,  our  God,  again 

blesses  us  with  peace,  I  hope  to  visit  this  country  with  you,  and 
enjoy  its  beauty  and  loveliness." 

No  Christian  reader  can  fail  to  note  here,  the  parallelism 
between  these  sentiments,  and  those  of  the  ancient  warrior-saint, 
in  similar  circumstances.  "  How  amiable  are  Thy  tabernacles, 
0  LORD  of  hosts !  My  soul  longeth,  yea,  even  fainteth,  for  the 
courts  of  the  LORD:  my  heart  and  my  flesh  crieth  out  for 
the  living  God." 

April  llth.     "I  feel  much  concerned  at  having  no  letter  this 
week,  but  my  trust  is  in  the  Almighty.     How  precious  is  the 
consolation   flowing  from  the   Christian's  assurance,  that  "all 
things  work  together  for  good,  to  them  that l  love  God.' " 
42 


330  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

"  God  gave  us  a  glorious  victory  in  the  S.  W.  (Shiloh),  but 
tlie  loss  of  the  great  Johnston  is  to  be  mourned.  I  do  not 
remember  having  ever  felt  so  sad  at  the  loss  of  a  man  whom  I 
had  never  seen." 

In  explanation  of  his  Sabbath  attack  at  Kernstown,  he  wrote : 

''You  appear  greatly  concerned  about  my  attacking  on  Sun 
day.  I  was  greatly  concerned  too;  but  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  do 
it,  in  consideration  of  the  ruinous  effects  that  might  result  from 
postponing  the  battle  until  the  next  morning.  So  far  as  I  can 
see,  my  course  was  a  wise  one ;  the  best  that  I  could  do  under 
the  circumstances,  though  very  distasteful  to  my  feelings,  and  I 
hope  and  pray  to  our  Heavenly  Father,  that  I  may  never  again 
be  circumstanced  as  on  that  day.  I  believed  that  so  far  as  our 
troops  were  concerned,  necessity  and  mercy  both  called  for  the 
battle." 

"I  hope  that  the  war  will  soon  be  over, and  that  I  shall  never 
again  have  to  take  the  field.  Arms  is  a  profession  that,  if  its 
principles  are  adhered  to  for  success,  requires  an  officer  to  do 
what  he  fears  may  be  wrong,  and  yet,  according  to  military 
experience,  must  be  done,  if  success  is  attained.  And  this  fact, 
of  its  being  necessary  to  success,  and  being  accompanied  with 
success,  and  that  a  departure  from  it  is  accompanied  with  dis 
aster,  suggests  that  it  must  be  right.  Had  I  fought  the  battle 
on  Monday,  instead  of  Sunday,  I  fear  our  cause  would  have 
suffered ;  whereas,  as  things  turned  out,  I  consider  our  cause 
gained  much  from  the  engagement." 

For  his  achievement  at  Kernstown,  the  Confederate  Con 
gress  rewarded  him  with  the  first  of  those  honors,  which  were 
afterwards  showered  so  thickly  upon  him.  The  following  Res 
olutions  of  Thanks  were  unanimously  passed : 

1.  "Resolved  by  the  Congress  of  the  Confederate  States, 
That  the  thanks  of  Congress  are  due,  and  are  hereby  tendered 


RECEIVES  THANKS   OP   CONGRESS.  331 

to  Major  General  Thomas  J.  Jackson;  and  the  officers  and  men 
under  his  command,  for  gallant  and  meritorious  services,  in  a 
successful  engagement  with  a  greatly  superior  force  of  the 
enemy,  near  Kernstown,  Frederick  Co.,  Va.,  on  the  23d  day  of 
March,  1862." 

2.  "Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  communicated  by 
the  Secretary  of  War  to  Major  General  Jackson,  and  by  him 
to  his  command." 


332  LIFE   OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 


CHAPTER     XI. 

MCDOWELL. 

FROM  April  1st  to  April  17th,  General  Jackson  occupied  the 
position  already  'described,  upon  Reede's  Hill.  Meantime,  the 
grand  armies  of  the  Potomac  liad  wholly  changed  their  theatre 
of  war.  April  1st,  General  M'Clellan  appeared  at  Fortress 
Monroe,  on  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  peninsula  between  the 
James  and  York  Rivers,  and  began  to  direct  the  approaches  of 
his  mighty  host  against  Richmond  from  that  point.  On  the 
4th,  he  appeared  before  the  lines  of  General  Magruder,  at 
Young's  Mill,  while  at  the  same  date,  the  troops  of  General 
Johnston  were  pouring  through  Richmond,  from  their  lines 
behind  the  Rappahannock,  to  reinforce  their  brethren  defending 
the  peninsula.  General  Jackson's  prospect  of  a  junction  with 
the  main  army  in  Culpepper  were,  therefore,  at  an  end ;  and  his 
movements  were  thus  rendered,  for  a  time,  more  independent  of 
the  other  Confederate  forces.  The  correctness  of  his  reason 
ings  upon  the  probable  movements  of  the  Federalists  was  now 
verified.  He  was  convinced  that  Staunton  would  be  the  aim  of 
General  Banks,  if  he  were  guided  by  a  skilful  strategy ;  and 
the  Official  Report  of  General  M'Clellan,  since  published,  shows 
that  his  instructions  to  that  General  were,  to  press  to  that  point 
as  soon  as  his  means  would  permit.  The  forces  at  his  disposal 
now  amounted,  according  to  General  M'Clcllan,  to  25,000  men, 
besides  General  Blenker'a  Division  of  10,000  Germans,  which, 


EETIRES   TO   HAREISOXBURG.  333 

Laving  been  just  detached  from  the  Federal  Army  of  the  Poto 
mac,  to  reinforce  General  Fremont  in  the  Northwest,  was  ordered 
to  pause  at  Strasbourg,  and  support  General  Banks  during  the 
critical  period  of  his  movement.  For  the  rest,  the  position  of 
the  Federal  forces  in  Virginia  was  the  following:  General 
Fremont,  in  command  of  the  Northwestern  Department,  was 
organizing  a  powerful  force  at  Wheeling,  while  General  Milroy, 
under  his  orders,  confronted  the  Confederates  upon  the  Shenan- 
doali  Mountain,  twenty  miles  west  of  Staunton,  and  consider 
able  reserves,  under  General  Schenck,  were  ready  to  support 
him  in  the  Valley  of  the  South  Branch.  At,  and  near  Manassa's 
Junction,  were  stationed  forces  amounting  to  about  18,000  men, 
guarding  Washington  City  against  an  imaginary  incursion  of  the 
dreaded  Rebels;  while  the  1st  Army  Corps  of  General  McDowell, 
detached  from  the  grand  army,  against  the  urgent  remonstrances 
of  General  M'Clellan,  lay  near  Fredericksburg,  to  protect  the 
capital  in  that  direction. 

On  the  side  of  the  Confederates,  were  found  the  six  regi 
ments  of  General  Edward  Johnston,  imprcgnably  posted  on  the 
Shenaridoah  Mountain ;  the  army  of  General  Jackson  at  Reede's 
Hill;  the  Division  of  General  Ewell  upon  the  Rappahannock, 
confronting  the  Federalists  upon  the  Orange  and  Alexandria 
Railroad;  and  the  command  of  General  Anderson,  about  10,000 
strong,  watching  Fredericksburg.  The  whole  remainder  of  the 
forces  in  Virginia  was  collected  upon  the  peninsula,  to  resist  the 
advance  of  M'Clellan. 

By  the  17th  of  April,  the  fords  of  the  North  Fork  of  Shenan- 
doah,  above  Reede's  Hill,  were  becoming  practicable ;  and  Gen 
eral  Jackson's  position  there  was  no  longer  secure.  He  therefore 
resumed  his  retreat  on  that  day,  and  retired,  by  two  marches,  to 
Harrisonburg,  the  capital  of  Rockingham  county,  upon  the  great 
Valley  Turnpike;  while  General  Banks  timidly  pursued  him. 


334  LIFE  OP  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

From  Harrisonburg,  he  turned  aside  to  the  east,  and  passing  the 
southern  end. of  the  Masanuttin  Mountain;  which  here  .sinks  into 
the  plain,  crossed  the  South,  or  main  Fork  of  the  Shenandoah 
River,  at  Conrad's  Store,  and  posted  himself  in  the  valley  of 
Elk  Run,  at  the  gorge  of  Swift  Run  Gap  in  the  Blue  Ridge. 
The  highway  to  Staunton  was  now  seemingly  open  to  General 
Banks ;  but  he  durst  not  pursue  it.  This  was  indeed,  one  of 
the  most  adroit  manoeuvres  of  the  great  strategist.  His  position 
in  the  mouth  of  the  mountain  gorge  was  unassailable,  and  depriv 
ed  his  adversary  of  all  the  advantage  of  his  superior  numbers. 
Yet  he  threatened  thence  the  Federal  rear,  the  moment  they 
attempted  to  advance  upon  Staunton  •  and  thus  arrested  him  as 
completely  as  though  a  superior  force  had  been  planted  in  his 
front.  From  his  own  rear,  a  good  turnpike  road  led  over  Swift 
Run  Gap,  into  Eastern  Virginia,  and  to  the  Central  Railroad, 
foi  ty  miles  distant,  at  Gordonsville ;  thus  providing  iiiin  supplies, 
a  socure  line  of  retreat,  and  communication  with  General  Ewell 
in  OJpepper.  There  was,  indeed,  one  grave  objection  to  the 
movement ;  but  the  manner  in  which  General  Jackson's  insight 
into  his  adversary's  character  here  modified  his  application  of 
the  maxims  of  the  military  art,  most  clearly  displayed  his  genius. 
Had  his  enemy  been  enterprising,  this  objection  would  have  been 
decisive ;  but  knowing  his  slowness  and  timidity,  he  safely  disre 
garded  it.  From  Harrisonburg,  a  turnpike  road  leads  southwest- 
ward  to  the  Warm  Springs,  passing  through  Jennings'  Gap  in 
the  Great  North  Mountain,  which  was  not  guarded  by  any  ade 
quate  force,  along  the  eastern  base  of  the  Shenandoah  Mountain, 
in  the  immediate  rear  of  General  Edward  Johnson's  position 
ttcrc.  A  forced  march  of  little  more  than  one  day  would  have 
conduc  ted  General  Banks  to  this  spot ;  where  proper  concert 
with  Ceneral  Milroy,  in  front,  would  have  ensured  the  destruc 
tion  ol  the  little  army  of  Confederates.  The  two  Federal  forces 


HIGH   ESTIMATE   OF   LEE.  335 

united  would  then  have  easily  occupied  Staunton,  and  made  the 
Valley  untenable  for  Jackson,  thus  deprived  of  the  expected  co 
operation  of  Johnson.  But  the  fear  of  leaving  his  rear  exposed 
for  a  moment  to  the  terrible  Stonewall,  together  with  the  diffi 
culty  of  passing  the  Shenandoah  at  Bridgewater,  where  the 
citizens  had  destroyed  the  bridge,  were  enough  to  deter  General 
Banks  from  so  promising  a  movement.  General  Jackson  stated 
in  his  correspondence,  that  he  foresaw  the  danger  of  such  a 
manoeuvre,  and  calculated  the  timidity  of  his  opponent,  as  a 
sufficient  defence. 

About  the  time  of  his  march  to  Swift  Run  Gap,  an  incident 
occurred  which  showed  his  decision.  The  elevated  valleys  of 
the  Blue  Ridge  Mountain  are  inhabited  by  a  poor,  rude,  and 
hardy  people,  little  amenable  to  law,  in  the  best  times,  who  live 
as  much  by  hunting  as  by  agriculture.  Among  a  part  of  these, 
an  insurrectionary  movement  arose  against  the  conscription; 
and  a  few  score  of  the  men  assembled  in  one  of  their  fastnesses, 
and  prepared  for  a  forcible  resistance  to  the  laws.  General 
Jackson  at  once  sent  a  force  and  dispersed  them,  capturing  some 
of  the  more  daring.  For  this  act  of  promptitude  he  received 
the  thanks  of  the  authorities. 

In  the  previous  winter,  General  R.  E.  Lee  had  been  stationed 
next  the  President  in  Richmond,  as  general  director  of  the  ope 
rations  of  all  the  armies  in  the  field.  The  high  estimate  held  by 
General  Jackson  of  his  character  and  accomplishments  was 
pleasantly  illustrated  by  the  manner  in  which  he  received  the 
news  of  this  appointment,  at  Winchester.  Much  had  been  said 
by  his  friends  there,  of  the  desire  that  he  should  receive  rein 
forcements.  One  evening,  at  supper,  he  said,  with  a  smile,  to 
the  lady  whose  hospitality  he  was  sharing :  "  Well,  Madam,  I  am 
reinforced  at  last;"  and  pointed  her  to  a  paragraph  in  the 
newspaper  from  Richmond  just  received,  which  announced  the 


336  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

appointment  of  General  Lee  as  Commander-in-Chief.  It  was 
his  wisdom  and  counsel,  which  lie  regarded  as  equivalent  to  new 
forces. 

While  General  Jackson  held  Banks  thus  check-mated  for  a 
fortnight  at  Harrisonburg,  he  was  busily  corresponding  with 
General  Lee  concerning  the  proper  direction  to  be  given  to  his, 
and  the  neighboring  Confederate  forces.  Three  movements  were 

O  O 

discussed  by  them,  of  which  the  first  was,  to  draw  General  Ewell 
to  Swift  Run  Gap,  in  order  to  hold  General  Banks  in  check, 
while  General  Jackson  combined  with  General  Edward  Johnson 
to  deliver  a  crushing  blow  against  Milroy,  and  then  associated 
his  and  General  Swell's  forces  against  Banks.  The  second  was, 
to  leave  General  Johnson  for  a  little  while,  with  a  detachment 
from  General  Jackson's  force  intended  to  mask  his  withdrawal 
from  Banks,  to  hold  the  Valley  as  best  they  might;  while  he 
marched  with  General  Ewell  across  the  Rappahannock  and  made 
a  vigorous  onslaught  against  the  Federalists  upon  the  Manassa's 
Railroad,  and  at  its  Junction.  It  was  hoped  by  General  Lee, 
that  the  news  of  this  attack,  so  far  towards  his  base,  would  cause 
Banks's  immediate  retreat  to  Winchester,  or  even  to  the  Poto 
mac.  The  third  project  was  to  leave  the  same  dispositions  for 
the  defence  of  the  Valley,  effect  a  junction  with  General  Ewell 
at  Gordousville,  and  marching  thence  to  Fredericksburg,  unite 
with  the  forces  of  Generals  Anderson  and  Field,  and  attack  tho 
Federal  army  in  that  neighborhood.  This  assault  gave  promise 
of  alarming  the  Government  at  Washington,  of  recalling  Banks, 
and  of  disturbing  the  arrangements  of  General  M-'Clellan  on  the 
peninsula.  As  General  Lee  remarked,  the  dispersion  of  the 
enemy's  forces  clearly  indicated  the  policy  of  concentration,  to 
attack  some  one  or  other  of  their  detachments.  But  he  gave 
General  Jackson  full  discretion  to  select  the  project  which  he 
preferred.  He  decisively  chose  the  first  The  secret  history  of 


DISPOSITIONS    OF    CONFEDERATE   FORCES.  337 

this  movement  is  related  here,  because  many  have  asserted, 
according  to  tlicir  hypothesis,  that  General  Jackson  was  a  mere 
fighter,  and  no  strategist,  that  the  plan  of  the  Valley  campaign 
was  due  to  another  mind.  On  the  contrary,  the  choice  was  left 
wholly  to  his  judgment ;  and  the  first  among  the  three  schemes, 
the  one  adopted,  and  so  gloriously  effected,  was  of  his  suggestion. 
It  is  easy  to  argue  for  his  preference  of  it,  after  it  was  so  sanc 
tioned  by  complete  success.  But  the  considerations  which  seem 
to  have  decided  General  Jackson  to  prefer  it  were  such  as  these : 
That  it  made  a  more  complete  concentration  of  our  strength,  in 
that  it  included  General  Edward  Johnson,  who,  upon  the  other 
plans,  would  have  been  left  aside,  with  a  detachment,  also,  of 
General  Jackson's  own  army ;  that  it  provided  a  more  complete 
protection  for  the  Valley  and  Staunton,  of  which  he  so  highly 
appreciated  the  strategic  importance ;  and  that,  if  successful,  it 
would  as  effectually  neutralize  the  Federal  forces  on  the  Rappa- 
hannock,  through  the  fears  excited  for  Washington  City,  and  thus 
assure  the  left  flank  of  the  army  protecting  Richmond  against  an 
assault  from  the  direction  of  Fredericksburg. 

General  Ewell  was  accordingly  withdrawn  from  the  Rappa- 
hannock  towards  Gordonsville,  and  then,  towards  the  eastern 
outlet  of  Swift  U\m  Gap.  He  brought  with  him  three  brigades, 
those  of  Brigadier- Generals  R.  Taylor,  Trimble,  and  Elzey, 
with  two  regiments  of  cavalry,  commanded  by  Colonel  Th.  S. 
Munford.  and  Lieutenant- Colonel  Flournoy,  with  an  adequate 
supply  of  field  artillery.  The  whole  formed  an  aggregate  of 
about  8.000  men,  in  an  admirable  state  of  efficiency.  The 
afternoon  of  April  30th,  General  Ewell  entered  Swift  Run  Gap, 
and  took  the  position  which  General  Jackson  had  just  left  to 
march  towards  Staunton.  General  Banks  had  been  deceived  by 
feints  of  an  attack  in  force  in  the  direction  of  Harrisonburg,  on 
the  previous  day,  and  on  that  morning;  so  that  he  received 

43 


338  LIFE  OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 

no  knowledge  of  the  true  direction  of  General  Jackson's  move 
ment.  The  object  of  the  latter  was  to  reach  Staunton  by  a 
route,  which,  while  not  so  circuitous  as  to  consume  invaluable 
time,  should  be  sufficiently  so,  to  conceal  his  march  from  the 
enemy,  and  protect  him  from  an  attack  on  the  road.  The 
incessant  rains  of  a  late  and  ungenial  spring  had  rendered  all 
the  roads,  which  were  not  paved,  almost  impracticable.  After 
careful  explorations,  General  Jackson  determined  to  ascend  the 
eastern  or  right  bank  of  the  Shenandoah  river  to  Port  Republic, 
a  village  seven  miles  from  Harrisonburg,  and  then,  instead 
of  proceeding  direct  to  Staunton  by  a  road  of  twenty-five  miles, 
to  cross  the  Blue  Ridge  into  Albernarle  County,  by  Brown's 
Gap,  and  go  thence  to  Staunton  along  the  line  of  the  Virginia 
Central  Railroad.  This  route  made  three  marches;  but  it 
completely  masked  his  movement,  and  mystified  both  friends  and 
foes;  for  no  one,  except  the  General's  chief  engineer,  knew 
whether  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  east  or  the  west. 

In  the  midst  of  a  dreary  rain,  the  army  left  its  comfortless 
bivouac  on  the  Elk  Run,  and  made  a  half  march,  between  the 
river  and  the  western  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  towards  Port 
Republic.  The  stream  is  here  separated  from  the  declivities 
of  the  mountain  by  a  plain  of  two  or  three  miles  in  breadth, 
whose  flat,  treacherous  soil,  softened  by  the  rains,  was  speedily 
converted  by  the  trains  of  baggage  and  artillery,  into  a  quag 
mire  without  apparent  bottom.  If  the  teamsters  attempted  to 
evade  this  by  turning  aside  into  the  woodlands,  as  soon  as  the 
fibrous  roots  of  the  surface  were  severed,  the  subsoil  proved 
even  more  deceitful  than  the  mire  of  the  roads,  and  a  few 
vehicles  made  the  track  impassable.  The  rivulets  descending 
from  the  mountain  were  swollen  into  broad  rivers,  and  the 
glades  of  the  forest  were  converted  into  lakes.  The  straggling 
column  toiled  along  through  water  and  mud  for  a  few  miles,  yet 


MARCH   TO   STAUNTON.  339 

enthusiastically  cheering  their  General  when  he  passed  along  it ; 
and  then  bivouacked  in  the  woods,  while  he,  with  his  suite,  found 
shelter  in  the  hospitable  mansion  of  General  Lewis.  In  the 
morning,  the  clouds  were  gradually  dispersed  by  the  struggling 
sun ;  and  General  Jackson,  having  established  his  head-quarters 
in  the  little  village  of  Port  Republic,  and  having  assigned  to  a 
part  of  his  staff  the  duty  of  arresting  all  transit  between  his 
line  of  march  and  the  enemy,  returned  with  the  remainder,  and 
addressed  himself  to  the  arduous  task  of  extricating  his  trains 
from  the  slough,  which  would  have  been  to  any  other,  a  "  slough 
of  despond."  Each  detachment  was  preceded  by  a  large 
party  of  pioneers,  who,  with  excessive  toil,  so  far  repaired  the 
effects  wrought  by  the  wheels  of  the  preceding  one,  as  to  pass 
over  another  train.  Whole  road-beds  formed  of  stones  and 
brush-wood  sunk  into  the  quicksands,  and  others  were  placed 
above  them,  again  and  again.  The  General  and  his  staff  were 
seen  dismounted,  urging  on  the  laborers ;  and  he  carried  stones 
and  timber  upon  his  own  shoulders,  with  his  uniform  bespattered 
with  mud  like  a  common  soldier's.  From  Thursday  afternoon 
until  Saturday  morning,  the  trains  struggled  along,  sorely  scat 
tered  and  travel-soiled,  until  at  length,  all  were  assembled  at  the 
western  opening  of  Brown's  Gap.  The  energy  and  determina 
tion  required  to  drive  them,  in  a  day  and  a  half,  through  those 
sixteen  miles  of  incredible  difficulties,  were  equal  to  any  dis 
play  of  these  qualities,  ever  made  upon  the  field  of  a  great 
victory. 

The  mountain-sides  afforded  a  road-bed  so  stony,  that  no 
floods  could  soften  it;  and  on  Saturday,  the  army  passed  over 
to  Whitehall  in  Albemarle,  by  a  track  rough,  but  firm,  cheered 
by  a  brilliant  sun,  and  full  of  confidence  and  elation.  The 
Sabbath  morning  dawned  upon  them  clear  and  soft,  in  their 
pleasant  bivouacs  along  the  green  meadows  of  Moorman's 


340  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

river;  and  the  General,  after  hard  debate  with  himself,  and 
with  sore  reluctance,  gave  the  order  to  march  again,  surrender 
ing  the  day  of  holy  rest,  which  he  would  have  so  much  enjoyed, 
to  military  necessity.  General  Johnston  reported  himself  closely 
pressed  by  the  enemy  west  of  Staunton ;  and  the  crisis  forbade 
the  expenditure  of  a  precious  day.  When  General  Jackson  had 
left  the  Great  Valley  Turnpike  at  Harrisonburg,  to  turn  aside 
to  Swift  Run  Gap,  the  people  of  Staunton,  in  their  panic, 
supposed  that  he  was  gone  to  reinforce  the  army  near  Rich 
mond,  leaving  them  to  their  fate;  and  unauthorized  messages 
from  officers  near  head-quarters  confirmed  this  erroneous  con 
struction  of  his  movement.  The  consequence  was  a  fit  of 
alarm,  in  which  public  military  stores  were  hastily  removed  or 
destroyed,  and  the  most  exciting  news  of  the  certain  occupation 
of  Staunton  by  the  enemy  was  sent  to  the  force  on  the  Shenan- 
doah  Mountain.  General  Johnson  was  detained  from  his  com 
mand  at  the  time;  but  the  officer  next  in  rank  concluded  that 
the  juncture  required  immediate  action,  to  rescue  the  army  from 
capture.  He  therefore  evacuated  his  strong  position  on  the 
mountain,  and  retired  to  West  View,  only  six  miles  west 
of  Staunton,  prepared  to  evade  the  approach  of  Banks,  on  that 
place,  and  retire  to  the  Blue  Ridge.  Thus  the  advanced  forces 
of  Milroy  were  brought  within  ten  miles  of  Staunton,  and  he 
was  about  to  establish  his  communications  with  the  Federalists 
at  Harrisonburg.  General  Jackson  therefore  pressed  forward 
from  Whitehall  to  Staunton,  reaching  the  latter  place  at  evening 
on  the  Sabbath ;  to  the  unspeakable  delight  of  the  inhabitants, 
who  had  only  heard  that  the  army  had  disappeared  again  into 
Eastern  Virginia,  no  one  knew  whither.  By  Monday  evening, 
the  whole  army  came  up,  and  the  junction  with  General  Johnson 
was  virtually  effected.  j 

Meantime,  General  Banks  no  sooner  learned  that  General 


COLLISION   WITH   THE   ENEMY.  341 

Ewcll  liad  reached  Elk  Run,  and  that  General  Jackson  had 
vanished  thence,  than  he  hastily  evacuated  Harrisonburg ;  and 
retreated  to  Strasburg,  followed  by  the  cavalry  of  Ashby.  The 
imagination  of  the  Federal  leader  was  affrighted  with  the  notion 
of  an  attack  in  front  from  Ewell,  while  the  mysterious  Jackson 
should  fall  upon  his  flank  or  rear,  from  some  unimagined  quarter. 
Yet  his  force  present  at  Harrisonburg,  about  twenty  thousand 
men,  was  superior  to  that  of  both  generals  united ! 

On  Wednesday  morning,  May  7th,  a  day  having  been  employed 
in  collecting  and  refreshing  the  troops,  General  Johnson  broke 
up  his  camp  at  West  View  at  an  early  hour,  and  marched  against 
the  enemy,  followed  by  General  Jackson  in  supporting  distance, 
with  the  brigade  of  General  Taliaferro  in  front,  that  of  Colonel 
Campbell  next,  and  the  Stonewall  Brigade,  now  commanded  by 
General  Charles  S.  Winder,  in  the  rear.  The  Corps  of  Cadets, 
from  the  Military  Academy,  forming  a  gallant  battalion  of  four 
companies  of  infantry,  under  their  teachers,  was  also  attached  to 
the  expedition.  The  spruce  equipments  and  exact  drill  of  these 
youths  formed  a  strong  contrast  with  the  war-worn  and  noncha 
lant  veterans,  as  they  stepped  out,  full  of  enthusiasm,  to  take 
their  first  actual  look  upon  the  horrid  visage  of  War,  under  their 
renowned  Professor. 

The  first  collision. with  the  enemy  occurred  about  mid-day,  at 
the  intersection  of  the  Harrisonburg  and  Parkersburg  turnpikes. 
There  a  Federal  picket  was  surprised,  and  nearly  captured, 
escaping  with  the  loss  of  a  few  men  and  horses.  Their  advanced 
posts  at  the  eastern  and  western  bases  of  the  Shenandoah  Moun 
tain  were  immediately  deserted,  with  some  military  stores,  and 
the  position  upon  the  top  of  the  mountain,  lately  held  by  the 
Confederates ;  and  they  retired  across  the  Bull  Pasture  Moun 
tain  to  M'Dowell,  making  no  other  resistance  to  the  advance  of 
the  Confederates,  than  a  few  ineffectual  cannon  shots.  The 


342  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

latter  paused  for  the  night  upon  both  sides  of  the  Shenaudoah 
Mountain,  with  the  rear  brigades  many  miles  behind  the  front. 
On  Thursday  morning,  May  8th,  the  march  was  resumed  early, 
with  General  Johnson's  regiments  still  in  advance,  and  the 
ascent  of  the  Bull  Pasture  Mountain  was  commenced.  This 
ridge,  unlike  its  neighbors,  has  a  breadth  of  a  couple  of  miles 
upon  its  top,  which  might  be  correctly  termed  a  table-land,  were 
it  not  occupied  by  clusters  of  precipitous  hills,  which  are  them 
selves  almost  mountainous  in  their  dimensions  and  ruggedness. 
The  Parkersburg  turnpike,  proceeding  westward,  ascends  to  this 
table  land,  passes  across  it,  and  descends  to  the  Bull  Pasture 
River,  by  a  sinuous  course,  along  the  ravines  which  seam  the  sides 
and  top  of  the  mountain  alike ;  so  that  it  is  almost  everywhere 
commanded,  on  one  or  both  sides,  by  the  steep  and  wooded 
banks  of  the  valleys  which  it  threads.  On  the  right  and  left  of 
the  road,  the  western  portions  of  the  rough  plateau  which  has 
been  described,  were  occupied  by  pasture  lands,  covered  with 
the  richest  greensward,  with  here  and  there  the  prostrate  trunk 
of  a  forest  tree  long  since  girdled  and  killed.  The  chasm  which 
separates  the  higher  reaches  of  these  lofty  pastures,  is  a  mile  in 
width ;  and  far  down  in  its  bottom,  the  turnpike  descends  toward 
the  river,  until  it  debouches  through  a  straight  gorge  of  a  few 
hundred  yards  in  length,  upon  the  bridge.  Artillery,  planted 
upon  a  hillock  beyond  the  river,  commanded  this  reach  of  the 
road  with  a  murderous  fire. 

Generals  Jackson  and  Johnson  having  cautiously  ascended 
the  mountain,  and  driven  away  a  picket  of  the  enemy  which 
quartered  its  top,  proceeded  to  the  western  ridge  of  the  pasture 
lands  on  the  left  of  the  road,  and  occupied  the  forenoon 
in  examining  the  position  of  the  enemy.  The  grounds  here 
belonged  to  a  patriotic  citizen  named  Sitlington ;  while  the  rival 
heights,  on  the  right  of  the  turnpike,  fed  the  cattle  of  a 


COLLISION   WITH   THE   ENEMY.  343 

proprietor  named  Hull.  The  latter  were  found  to  be  occupied 
by  two  regiments  of  Federal  riflemen ;  but  the  distance  was  too 
great  for  effective  volleys.  Beneath  them  lay  the  smiling  hamlet 
of  M'Dowell,  crowded  with  Federal  troops,  stores,  and  artillery, 
while  beyond,  the  champaign  stretched  away  with  a  smooth  and 
gentle  ascent  to  the  westward,  for  a  number  of  miles.  The 
edges  of  the  vale  next  to  the  position  of  the  Confederate  Gen 
erals  were  fringed  by  a  forest,  which  covered  the  steeper  and 
more  barren  slopes  of  the  mountain's  foot.  This  wood  was 
speedily  found  to  be  infested  by  the  enemy's -skirmishers;  but  a 
detachment  of  General  Johnson's  riflemen  easily  kept  them  at 
bay,  and  chastised  their  audacity  whenever  they  attempted  to 
advance  from  cover.  The  open  field  itself,  of  a  mile's  length, 
was  heaved  into  confused  and  billowy  ridges,  presenting,  on  the 
whole,  the  concavity  of  an  irregular  crescent  toward  the  west. 
The  ravine ;  by  which  the  Confederates  reached  this  field  from 
the  turnpike,  is  narrow  and  precipitous,  and  occupied  both  by 
the  forest  and  by  a  stream  of  rude  boulders,  which  the  rains  had 
precipitated  from  the  ridge  above.  Yet  it  was  judged  that,  by 
the  strenuous  exertions  of  men  and  horses,  field  guns  might  have 
been  carried  up  after  several  hours'  labor. 

From  the  ridges  of  the  pasture-field,  General  Jackson  quietly 
watched  the  enemy  far  below  him,  for  a  number  of  hours ;  while 
they  cannonaded  him  and  his  escort  from  a  battery  on  the  farther 
side  of  the  vale,  whose  guns  had  their  muzzles  elevated  toward 
the  sky,  and  their  trails  thrust  into  trenches  in  the  ground.  It 
was  no  part  of  his  purpose  to  engage  them  that  day,  nor  on  that 
ground.  He.  had  reason  to  hope  that  they  were  ignorant  of  his 
junction  with  General  Johnson,  and  that  they  supposed  they  had 
only  the  six  regiments  of  the  latter  to  deal  with.  His  troops 
had  not  all  come  up ;  and  the  Stonewall  Brigade  especially,  was 
many  miles  in  the  rear.  His  purpose  was  to  amuse  the  enemy, 


344  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

while  his  engineers  diligently  explored  the  mountain  to  the  right 
and  left,  for  a  road  which  might  lead  him  to  their  rear.  To  the 
zeal  of  his  artillery  officers,  who  offered  to  bring  up  batteries,  he 
quietly  replied :  "Thank  you;  not  yet;"  and  at  length  added 
to  one  of  them :  "  Perhaps  Providence  may  open  a  way  toward 
Monterey  for  you  tomorrow."  (Monterey  is  the  next  village  ten 
miles  west  of  McDowell;  and  was  in  the  enemy's  rear.)  In 
truth,  his  explorations  had  already  been  successful  in  leading 
him  to  a  rude  mountain  road,  practicable  for  artillery,  which, 
passing  far  to  the  right  of  Hull's  mountain  pastures,  enters  the 
highway  five  miles  in  the  rear  of  McDowell ;  and  his  orders  were 
just  issued  to  move  a  formidable  park  of  artillery,  with  sufficient 
escort,  by  this  road,  during  the  night ;  who  were  to  assume  a 
good  position  behind  the  enemy.  His  preponderance  of  force 
would  have  enabled  him  thus  to  envelop  and  crush  the  army  of 
Milroy. 

But  that  officer  had  astuteness  enough,  though  ignorant  of 
these  formidable  preparations,  to  apprehend  something  of  the 
danger  of  his  position.  If  once  the  lofty  fields  occupied  by 
Generals  Jackson  and  Johnson  were  crowned  with  artillery, 
their  plunging  fire  would  have  made  the  .whole  valley  of 
McDowell  untenable  for  him;  and  the  altitude  forbade  an 
effective  reply.  At  mid-day  General  Schcnck  arrived  with  three 
thousand  additional  bayonets :  and  they  resolved  to  take  the 
initiative,  and  drive  the  Confederates  from  their  threatening 
position  at  once.  How  little  purpose  General  Jackson  had 
of  commencing  the  action  that  evening,  appears  from  the  fact, 
that  as  the  afternoon  advanced,  he  had  dismissed  all  his  staff, 
save  two  members,  upon  different  errands,  with  kindly  instruc 
tions  to  seek  the  repose  of  their  quarters  when  they  had  fulfilled 
those  functions,  and  had  sent  orders  to  the  Stonewall  Brigade, 
which  was  at  length  approaching  the  top  of  the  mountain,  to 


BATTLE   OF   MCDOWELL.  345 

descend  again,  and  seek  a  suitable  encampment.  But  the 
advance  of  the  enemy  did  not,  for  all  this,  find  him  unprepared. 
Although  he  had  carefully  avoided  making  any  display  of  force 
upon  the  open  hills,  the  regiments  of  General  Johnson  were 
close  at  hand,  an.d  the  brigades  of  Taliafcrro  and  Campbell 
within  supporting  distance.  The  aggressive  intentions  of  the 
enemy  now  becoming  manifest,  the  52d  Virginia  regiment  was 
brought  upon  the  field,  and  posted  upon  the  left,  speedily 
followed  by  the  58th  and  44th  Virginia,  and  the  12th  Georgia 
regiments.  The  52d  Virginia  having  been  disposed  as  skir 
mishers,  were  speedily  engaged  in  a  brisk  encounter  with  the 
enemy's  skirmishers,  whom  they  handsomely  repulsed.  The 
other  three  regiments  then  arriving,  were  soon  afterwards  posted 
as  follows :  the  12th  Georgia  on  the  crest  of  the  hill,  and 
forming  the  centre  of  the  Confederate  line,  the  58th  Virginia  on 
the  left  to  support  the  52d,  and  the  44th  Virginia  on  the  right 
near  a  ravine. 

General  Milroy's  advance  now  began  in  good  earnest.  He 
was  protected  in  his  approach  by  the  convexity  of  the  hills,  and 
by  the  wood  interposed  in  the  Confederate  front,  until  he 
emerged  from  it,  and  engaged  their  skirmishers.  These  he 
drove  before  him,  and  poured  a  galling  fire  into  the  Confederate 
right,  which  was  returned,  and  a  brisk  and  animated  contest 
was  kept  up  for  some  time ;  when  General  Johnson's  two  remain 
ing  regiments,  the  25th  and  31st  Virginia  came  up  and  were 
posted  on  the  right.  The  fire  was  now  rapid  and  well  sustained 
on  both  sides,  and  the  conflict  fierce  and  sanguinary.  The 
narrow  and  rough  ravine  by  which  the  Confederate  troops 
ascended  from  the  left  side  of  the  turnpike  to  the  field  of  battle, 
has  been  described.  If  the  enemy  advanced  along  the  highway 
and  seized  its  mouth,  the  results  would  be  disastrous.  To 
prevent  the  possibility  of  such  a  movement,  the  31st  Virginia 

44 


346  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

was  posted  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  between  that  point  and 
the  enemy.  It  was,  not  long  after,  ordered  to  join  its  brigade 
inaction;  and  its  place  was  taken  by  the  21st  Virginia.  To 
the  commander  of  this  regiment  General  Jackson  gave  his 
orders  in  person.  They  were,  that  he  should  avail  himself  of 
every  inequality  of  the  ground  to  protect  his  men,  and  then 
hold  the  turnpike  against  all  odds,  and  at  every  cost. 

The  engagement  had  now  not  only  become  general  along  the 
entire  line,  but  so  furious,  that  General  Jackson  ordered  General 
Taliaferro  to  -the  support  of  General  Johnson.  Accordingly, 
the  23d  and  37th  Virginia  regiments  were  advanced  to  the 
centre  of  the  line  which  was  then  held  by  the  12th  Georgia, 
with  heroic  gallantry  j  and  the  10th  Virginia  was  ordered  to 
support  the  52 d  Virginia,  which  had  already  driven  the  enemy 
from  the  left,  and  had  now  advanced  to  make  a  flank  movement 
on  him.  At  this  time  the  Federalists  were  pressing  forward  in 
strong  force  on  the  extreme  right  of  the  Confederates,  with  a 
view  of  turning  that  position.  This  movement  was  'speedily 
detected,  and  met  by  General  Taliaferro's  brigade,  and  the  12th 
Georgia,  with  great  promptitude.  Further  to  check  it,  portions 
of  the  2  5 th  and  31st  Virginia  regiments  were  sent  to  occupy 
an  elevated  piece  of  woodland  on  the  right  and  rear,  so  situated 
as  fully  to  command  the  position  of  the  enemy.  The  brigade 
commanded  by  Colonel  Campbell,  coming  up  about  this  time, 
was  ordered,  together  with  the  10th  Virginia,  down  the  ridge 
into  the  woods,  to  guard  against  designs  upon  the  right  flank. 
This  duty  they,  in  connexion  with  the  other  force,  effectually 
performed.  The  battle  had  now  raged  from  half  past  four  to 
half  past  eight  o'clock  p.  M.,  and  the  shades  of  night  had 
descended.  Every  attempt  of  the  enemy  by  front  or  flank 
movement,  to  attain  the  crest  of  the  hills  where  General  Jack 
son's  line  was  formed,  was  signally  and  effectually  repulsed; 


EETREAT   OF   MILROY.  347 

and  they  finally  ceased  firing  and  retired  from  the  field.  During 
all  the  earlier  portions  of  the  engagement,  the  enemy's  artillery 
on  the  farther  side  of  the  valley  was  actively  employed  in 
tin-owing  shot  and  shell,  until  their  infantry  approached  too 
closely.  But  the  elevation  of  the  mountain,  and  the  shelter 
of  the  sharp  ridges  rendered  their  fire  ineffectual.  Only  one  of 
the  Confederate  slain  lost  his  life  by  a  cannon  shot.  General 
Jackson  brought  up  no  artillery  j  assigning  as  his  reason,  that  in 
case  of  disaster,  there  was  no  road  by  which  it  could  be 
promptly  withdrawn.  The  battle  may  therefore  be  said  to  have 
been  fought  with  musketry  alone. 

By  nine  o'clock,  the  roar  of  the  struggle  had  passed  away ; 
and  the  green  battle-field  reposed  under  the  starlight,  as  calmly 
as  when  it  had  been  occupied  only  by  its  peaceful  herds.  De 
tachments  of  soldiers  were  silently  exploring  the  ground  for 
their  wounded  comrades,  while  the  tired  troops  were  slowly 
filing  oif  to  their  bivouac.  At  midnight  the  last  sufferer  had 
been  removed,  and  the  last  picket  posted;  and  then  only  did 
General  Jackson  turn,  to  seek  a  few  hours  repose  in  a  farm 
house  at  the  eastern  base  of  the  mountain.  The  valley  of 
M'Dowell  lay  beneath  him  in  equal  quiet.  The  camp-fires 
<*f  the  Federals  blazed  ostentatiously  in  lon^  and  regular 
lines,  and  their  host  seemed  to  be  wrapped  in  sleep.  At  one 
o'clock  A.  M.,  the  General  reached  his  quarters,  and  threw 
himself  upon  a  bed.  When  his  faithful  servant,  knowing  that 
he  had  eaten  nothing  since  morning,  came  with  food,  he  said,  "  I 
want  none ;  nothing  but  sleep  " — and  in  a  minute,  was  slumber 
ing  like  a  healthy  infant.  The  dawn  found  him  in  the  saddle, 
and  ascending  the  mountain  again.  When  he  reached  the  crest 
of  the  battle-field,  he  saw  the  vale  beneath  him  deserted  j  the  foe 
had  decamped  in  the  night,  leaving  their  dead,  and  partially 
destroying  their  camp-equipage  and  stores.  The  pebbly  bottom 


348  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

of  the  neighboring  stream  was  found  strewn  with  tens  of  thou 
sands  of  musket-cartridges,  and  vast  heaps  of  bread  were  still 
smoking  amidst  the -ashes  of  the  store-houses  which  had  sheltered 
them.  After  marching  west  for  a  few  miles,  General  Milroy 
sought  the  sources  of  the  South  Branch  of  the  Potomac,  and 
turned  northward  down  that  stream,  along  which  a  good  high 
way  led  toward  Franklin  and  Romney.  His  aim  was  to  meet 
the  reinforcements  of  General  Fremont,  which,  he  hoped,  were 
approaching  by  that  route,  from  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail 
road.  The  line  of  his  retreat  was  marked  by  the  graves  of  his 
wounded,  and  the  wreck  of  an  occasional  carriage. 

The  loss  of  the  Confederates  in  this  engagement  was  sixt}r'- 
nine  killed,  and  three  hundred  and  ninety-one  wounded ;  making 
a  total  of  four  hundred  and  sixty  men.  The  greatest  carnage 
occurred  in  the  ranks  of  the  famous  12th  Georgia  regiment, 
which  had  thirty-five  killed,  and  one  hundred  and  forty  wounded. 
This  noble  body,  trained  under  the  eye  of  General  Edward  John 
son,  when  Colonel,  held  the  centre  of  the  battle  from  the  begin 
ning  to  the  end.  But  their  heavy  loss  was  also  due  to  their  own 
zeal  and  chivalry.  Having  been  advanced  at  first,  in  front  of  the 
crest  of  the  hills,  where  their  line  showed  to  their  enemies  from 
beneath,  in  bold  relief  against  the  sky,  they  could  not  be  per 
suaded  to  retire  to  the  reverse  of  the  ridge,  where  many  of  the 
other  regiments  found  partial  protection  without  sacrificing  the 
efficiency  of  their  fire.  Their  commander,  perceiving  their 
useless  exposure,  endeavored  again  and  again  to  withdraw  them  • 
but  amidst  the  roar  of  the  musketry  his  voice  was  lifted  up  in 
vain;  and  when  by  passing  along  the  ranks  he  persuaded  or 
entreated  one  wing  of  the  regiment  to  recede,  they  rushed  again 
to  the  front  while  he  was  gone  to  expostulate  with  the  other.  A 
tall  Georgia  youth  expressed  the  spirit  of  his  comrades,  when  he 
replied  the  next  day  to  the  question,  why  they  did  not  retreat  to 


LACONIC  DESPATCH.  349 

the  shelter  of  the  ridge  behind  them,  whence  they  could  fight  the 
battle  equally  well :  "  We  did  not  come  all  this  way  to  Virginia, 
to  run  before  Yankees." 

Just  before  the  close  of  the  engagement,  General  Johnson 
received  a  painful  wound  in  the  ankle,  which,  breaking  one  of  its 
bones,  compelled  him  to  leave  the  field.  General  Jackson  paid 
him  the  following  merited  tribute  in  his  report :  "  General  John 
son,  to  whom  I  had  entrusted  the  management  of  the  troops 
engaged,  proved  himself  eminently  worthy  of  the  confidence 
reposed  in  him,  by  the  skill,  gallantry,  and  presence  of  mind, 
which  he  displayed  on  the  occasion."  Colonel  Gibbons,  com 
manding  the  10th  Virginia,  a  Christian  gentleman  and  soldier, 
beloved  by  all  his  comrades,  fell  dead  as  he  was  bringing  his 
men  into  position ;  and  he  was  the  only  person  in  his  regiment 
who  was  struck.  Colonel  Harman,  of  the  52d  Virginia,  Colonel 
Smith,  and  Major  Higginbotham,  of  the  25th,  and  Major  Camp 
bell,  of  the  42 d  Virginia,  were  wounded.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  action,  General  Jackson  was,  for  the  reason  stated  above, 
accompanied  by  only  two  of  his  staff:  Captain  Lee,  his  ordnance- 
officer,  and  Lieutenant  Meade,  his  Aide.  These  two,  by  their  zeal 
and  courage,  temporarily  supplied  the  place  of  all ;  and  Captain 
Lee  received  a  severe  wound  in  the  head.  The  Federal  loss 
was  estimated  by  General  Johnson,  who  witnessed  nearly  the 
whole  struggle,  to  be  double  that  of  the  Confederates ;  but  this 
reckoning  was  probably  too  large.  Few  prisoners  were  taken 
on  either  side ;  but  among  those  captured  by  Jackson  was  a 
Colonel  of  an  Ohio  regiment.  Some  Quarter-Master's  and 
Commissary  stores,  arms,  ammunition,  and  cavalry  equipments 
remained  for  the  victors.  The  force  of  General  Milroy  was 
supposed  to  be  8,000  men.  Of  General  Jackson's,  about  6,000, 
or  only  half  his  force,  were  engaged. 

From  M'Dowell,  General  Jackson  sent  the  following  modest 


350  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSON. 

and  laconic  despatch,  the  first  of  those  missives  which,  during 
the  remainder  of  his  career,  so  frequently  electrified  the  country 
with  joy : 

VALLEY  DISTRICT,  MAY  9th,  1862. 
To  GEX.  S.  COOPER: 

"  God  blessed  our  arms  with  victory  at  McDowell  yesterday." 

T.  J.  JACKSON,  Major-General. 

This  announcement  was  received  by  the  people  of  Virginia 
and  of  the  Confederate  States  with  peculiar  delight,  because  it 
was  the  first  blush  of  tlie  returning  day  of  triumphs  after  a 
season  of  gloomy  disasters.  The  campaign  had  opened  with 
the  fall  of  Fort  Donelson  and  the  occupation  of  Nashville.  The 
fruitless  victory  of  Shiloh  had  been  counterpoised  in  April  by  the 
fall  of  New  Orleans,  a  loss  as  unexpected  to  the  Confederates  as 
it  was  momentous.  On  the  4th  of  May,  while  Generals  Jackson 
and  Johnson  were  effecting  their  junction  at  Staunton,  York- 
town  was  deserted  by  the  Confederates,  and,  on  the  next  day, 
Williamsburg  fell  into  their  hands  after  a  bloody  combat.  0:i 
the  9th,  Norfolk  surrendered  to  the  enemy,  and,  on  the  llth, 
the  gallant  ship  Virginia,  the  pride  and  confidence  of  the  people, 
was  destroyed  by  her  own  commander.  The  victory  of  M'Dow- 
ell  was  the  one  gleam  of  brightness  athwart  all  these  clouds ; 
and  the  eyes  of  the  people  turned  with  hope  and  joy  to  the 
young  soldier  who  had  achieved  it,  and  recognized  in  this  happy 
beginning  the  vigor  and  genius  of  the  great  commander. 

General  Jackson  immediately  threw  forward  a  few  companies 
of  cavalry  under  Captain  Shectz  to  harass  the  enemy's  rear,  and 
collected  his  infantry  in  the  valley  beyond  M'Dowell  to  prepare 
for  a  close  pursuit.  The  mountain  passes  by  which  General 
Banks  might  have  communicated  succors  to  Milroy  were  imme 
diately  obstructed,  and  an  active  officer  was  sent  by  a  circuitous 


PURSUIT  OF   MILROY.  351 

route  to  the  northern  parts  of  Pendleton  county,  below  Franklin, 
to  collect  the  partisan  soldiers  of  the  mountains  in  the  enemy's 
rear.  They  were  exhorted  to  fill  the  roads  with  felled  timber, 
to  tear  down  the  walls  which  supported  the  turnpike  along 
the  precipitous  cliffs,  and  to  destroy  the  bridges,  in  order  that 
the  retreat  of  Milroy  might  be  retarded,  and  the  advance  of 
Fremont  to  his  aid  checked,  until  his  flying  army  was  again 
beaten  and  dispersed.  Saturday  morning,  the  victors  resumed 
their  march,  refreshed  by  a  night  of  quiet  rest,  and  pressed  the 
enemy  so  hard,  that  General  Jackson  hoped  in  the  afternoon  to 
bring  them  to  bay.  Their  rear-guard  assumed  a  position,  and 
held  the  Confederate  cavalry  in  check.  General  Jackson  dis 
posed  his  troops,  and  issued  his  orders  for  battle  with  a  stern 
joy ;  but  the  slippery  game  soon  continued  its  flight.  The  next 
morning  was  the  Sabbath;  but  after  anxious  deliberation,  the 
Confederate  General  concluded  that  the  importance  of  over 
taking  the  enemy,  who  would  certainly  not  pause  from  any 
reverence  for  the  sacred  day,  and  of  inflicting  another  disaster 
before  the  reinforcements  of  General  Fremont  arrived,  required 
him  to  disregard  its  claims.  "When  he  began  to  urge  the  enemy 
again,  the  Federals  resorted  to  the  expedient  of  setting  fire  to 
the  forests  upon  the  mountain  sides,  in  order  to  envelop  their 
flight  in  obscurity.  Soon  the  sky  was  overcast  with  volumes  of 
smoke,  which  almost  hid  the  scene,  and  wrapped  every  distant 
object  in  a  veil,  impenetrable  to  the  eyes  and  the  telescopes  of 
the  officers  alike.  Through  this  sultry  fog  the  pursuing  army 
felt  its  way  cautiously  along,  cannonaded  by  the  enemy  from 
every  advantageous  position ;  while  it  was  protected  from  am 
buscades  only  by  detachments  of  skirmishers,  who  scoured  the 
burning  woods  on  each  side  of  the  highway.  As  fast  as  these 
could  scramble  over  tfye  precipitous  hills,  and  through  the  blazing 
thickets,  the  great  column  crept  along  the  main  road;  like  a  lazy 


352  LIFE  OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 

serpent ;  their  General  often  far  in  advance  of  its  head,  in  his 
eagerness  to  overtake  the  foe.  He  declared  that  this  smoke 
was  the  most  adroit  expedient,  to  which  a  retreating  army  could 
resort,  to  embarrass  pursuit,  and  that  it  entailed  upon  him  all 
the  disadvantages  of  a  night  attack.  By  slow  approaches,  and 
constant  skirmishing,  the  enemy  were  driven  to  the  village  of 
Franklin ;  when  the  double  darkness  of  the  night,  and  the  fog, 
again  arrested  his  progress. 

When  the  morning  of  Monday  arrived,  General  Jackson 
resolved  to  discontinue  his  pursuit  of  Milroy,  and  return  to 
pay  his  respects  to  General  Banks.  Several  considerations 
weighed  together,  to  determine  his  judgment.  He  ascertained 
that  his  orders  for  obstructing  the  turnpike  below  Franklin  had 
been  disregarded  by  the  citizens;  and  their  supincncss  and 
timidity  filled  him  with  disgust.  It  was  now  obvious  that  his 
cunning  adversary,  with  an  unobstructed  road  for  retreat,  and 
all  the  advantages  of  a  mountainous  country  for  defence,  would 
not  be  brought  to  a  battle,  until  he  had  received  the  support  of 
General  Fremont..  On  the  other  hand,  the  concentration  of  the 
Confederates  was  only  half  completed,  for  the  excellent  divis 
ion  of  General  Ewell,  was  still  to  be  associated  with  the  forces 
of  Jackson;  and  prudence  dictated  that  the  risk  of  such  a 
collision  as  that,  with  Fremont  and  Milroy  united,  should  not  be 
taken  without  the  advantage  of  all  the  strength  attainable  by 
him.  Moreover,  time  was  precious ;  for  he  knew  not  how  soon 
a  new  emergency  at  Fredericksburg  or  at  Richmond,  might 
occasion  the  recall  of  General  Ewell  to  the  East,  and  deprive 
him  of  the  power  to  strike  any  effective  blow  against  General 
Banks.  The  motive  last  mentioned  was  perhaps  the  most  oper 
ative  of  all ;  for  he  knew  that  the  loan  of  General  Ewell's  aid 
to  him  by  the  Confederate  authorities  at  Richmond,  was  not  en 
tirely  hearty,  and  that  they  did  not  wholly  concur  in  his  estimate 


MARCH   TO    THE   EASTWARD.  353 

of  the  importance  of  protecting  his  District  from  invasion.  But 
the  conclusive  reason,  was  a  despatch  from  General  Lee,  May 
llth,  requiring  his  return.  The  same  day  General  Jackson  sent 
a  courier  to  General  Ewell,  to  announce  his  coming,  who  was 
commanded  to  ride  post-haste  with  his  message. 

General  Jackson,  therefore,  prepared  to  turn  his  face  east 
ward  again.  He  granted  the  soldiers  the  half  of  Monday  as  a 
season  of  rest,  in  lieu  of  the  Sabbath,  which  had  been  devoted 
to  warfare ;  and  issued  the  following  order  to  them. 

"Soldiers  of  the  army  of  the  Valley  and  North  "West."  "I 
congratulate  you  on  your  recent  victory  at  McDowell.  I  request 
you  to  unite  with  me,  this  morning,  in  thanksgivings  to  Almighty 
God,  for  thus  having  crowned  your  arms  with  success;  and  in 
praying  that  He  will  continue  to  lead  you  on  from  victory  to 
victory,  until  our  independence  shall  be  established ;  and  make 
us  that  people  whose  God  is  the  Lord." 

"  The  chaplains  will  hold  divine  service  at  10  o'clock  A.  M., 
this  day,  in  their  respective  regiments." 

The  different  groups  were  accordingly  soon  assembled,  beneath 
a  genial  sun,  along  the  verdant  meadows  of  the  South  Branch  ; 
and  the  neighboring  mountains,  which,  on  the  Sabbath,  had 
reverberated  with  the  bellowirigs  of  cannon,  now  echoed  the 
Sabbath  Jiymns.  The  commanding  General  attended  reverently 
the  worship  of  a  company  of  artillery  near  his  tent.  After  mid 
day,  the  camps  were  broken  up,  and  the  march  was  resumed  for 
M'Dowcll;  which  the  army  reached  Wednesday  evening.  The 
next  day's  journey  brought  them  to  the  Lebanon  Springs,  on  the 
road  to  Ilarrisonburg ;  where  they  paused  for  a  day,  Friday, 
May  IGth,  to  observe  a  season  of  national  humiliation  and 
prayer,  appointed  by  the  Confederate  Government,  for  all  the 
people  and  armies.  On  Saturday,  an  easy  march  was  ended, 
in  the  beautiful  region  of  Mossy  Creek;  wh^re  the  troops,  no 

45 


354  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSON. 

longer  pressed  by  a  military  exigency,  were  allowed  to  spend 
a  quiet  Sabbath. 

One  incident  remains  to  be  mentioned,  illustrating  Jackson's 
iron  will,  which  occurred  while  the  army  paused  on  this  march, 
at  M'Dowell.  A  part  of  the  men  of  the  27th  regiment,  in  the 
Stonewall  Brigade,  who  had  volunteered  for  twelve  months,  now 
found  their  year  just  expired.  Assuming  that  the  application 
of  the  late  conscription  to  them  was  a  breach  of  faith,  they 
demanded  their  discharge,  and  laying  down  their  arms,  refused 
to  serve  another  day.  Their  gallant  Colonel  Grigsby  referred 
the  case  to  General  Jackson  for  instructions.  On  hearing  it 
detailed,  he  exclaimed,  his  eye  flashing,  and  his  -brow  rigid  with 
a  portentous  sternness,  "  What  is  this  but  mutiny?  Why  does 
Colonel  Grigsby  refer  to  me,  to  know  what  to  do  with  a  mutiny  ? 
He  should  shoot  them,  where  they  stand."  He  then  turned  to 
his  adjutant,  and  dictated  an  order  to  the  Colonel  to  parade  his 
regiment  instantly,  with  loaded  muskets,  to  draw  up  the  insubor 
dinate  companies  in  front  of  them,  disarmed,  and  offer  them  the 
alternative  of  returning  to  duty,  or  being  fusilladed  on  the  spot. 
The  order  was  obeyed,  and  the  mutineers,  when  thus  confronted 
with  instant  death,  promptly  reconsidered  their  resolution. 
They  could  not  be  afterwards  distinguished  from  the  rest  of  the 
regiment  in  their  soldierly  behavior;  and  this  was t the  last 
attempt  at  organized  disobedience  in  the  army. 


WINCHESTER.  355 


CHAPTER    XII. 

WINCHESTER. 

WHILE  General*  Jackson  was  hurrying  back  from  Franklin, 
critical  events  were  occurring  at  Richmond,  which  must  be  known 
in  order  to  appreciate  the  value  of  his  victories,  and  their  effect 
upon  the  public  mind.  The  destruction  of  the  ship  Virginia  by 
her  crew,  on  the  llth  of  May,  has  been  narrated.  This  blunder 
left  the  River  James  open  to  the  enemy's  fleet,  up  to  the  wharves 
of  the  city.  The  Confederate  engineers  had  indeed  projected 
an  earthwork  upon  an  admirable  position,  seven  miles  below, 
where  the  lands  of  a  planter  named  Drewry  overlooked  a  nar 
row  reach  of  the  stream,  in  a  lofty  bluff  or  precipitous  hill. 
But  so  nerveless  and  dilatory  had  been  their  exertions,  that, 
when  the  river  was  thus  opened  to  the  enemy,  there  were  neither 
guns  mounted  upon  the  unfinished  ramparts  of  earth,  nor 
obstructions  completed  in  the  channel  beneath.  The  Legisla 
ture  of  Virginia  had  urged  upon  the  Confederate  War  Depart 
ment,  the  vast  importance  of  defending  this  avenue  to  the  Capital 
of  the  Commonwealth,  and  had  received  promises;  but  they 
remained  unfulfilled.  The  hurried  removal  of  military  stores  to 
the  Southwest ;  the  packing  of  the  archives  of  the  Confederate 
Departments,  and  the  significant  movements  of  their  occupants, 
now  indicated  the  purpose  of  the  Government  to  desert  Rich 
mond  to  the  enemy.  Not  only  was  it  left  approachable  by 
water ;  but  the  grand  army  of  M'Clellan  had  pressed  from  the 


356  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

peninsula  up  to  the  neighborhood  of  the  city  on  the  east,  while 
a  strong  and  increasing  army  under  General  McDowell,  at 
Frederieksburg,  threatened  it  by  a  northern  route  of  only  three 
marches,  with  no  adequate  force  to  oppose  him.  It  was  in  this 
gloomy  hour,  that  the  spirit  of  the  General  Assembly  of  Vir 
ginia,  and  of  the  citizens  of  her  Capital,  flamed  up  with  a  lofty 
and  unshaken  heroism,  worthy  to  be  compared  with  the  noblest 
displays  of  patriotism  in  all  the  ages.  The  former  body 
addressed  to  the  President  of  the  Confederate  States,  a  Resolu 
tion,  requesting  him  to  defend  the  city,  if  necessary,  until  one 
stone  was  not  left  upon  another,  and  proposing  to  lay  it  as  a 
sacrifice,  with  all  its  wealth,  upon  the  country's  altar.  The 
Town-council  met,  and  amidst  the  stern  and  unanimous  enthusi 
asm  of  the  citizens,  seconded  this  resolve.  They  were  deter 
mined,  that  if  the  city  could  not  be  successfully  defended,  it 
should  only  be  yielded  to  the  enemy  as  a  barren  heap  of  rub 
bish,  the  sepulchre,  and  glorious  monument  at  once,  of  its 
defenders.  The  General  Assembly  sent  its  Committee  to  lay 
their  wishes  before  the  President ;  who  thanked  them  for  their 
devotion,  and  assured  them  that  the  evacuation  of  Richmond,  if 
it  occurred,  would  by  no  means  imply  the  desertion  of  Virginia. 
Even  while  they  conferred  together,  a  courier  brought  him  news, 
that  some  Federal  ships  of  war,  availing  themselves  of  the 
absence  of  the  Virginia,  were  ascending  the  river,  with  the 
evident  intention  of  reaching  Richmond.  Rising  from  his  seat, 
he  dismissed  the  Committee,  saying,  "  This  manifestly  concludes 
the  matter ;"  and  proceeded  to  arrange  for  the  removal  of  his 
family.  But  the  timidity  of  the  Federalists,  afraid  of  torpedoes, 
or  some  other  secret  annoyance,  and  incredulous  that  so  vital  a 
point  could  indeed  be  left  open  for  them,  for  this  time  saved  the 
city ;  which,  so  far  as  its  proper  defenders  were  concerned,  was 
already  lost.  The  ships  paused  to  make  soundings,  and  to 


MAIN   OBJECT   OF   THE   CAMPAIGN.  357 

reconnoitre  the  banks ;  and  meantime,  the  citizens  went  to  work. 
The  City  Council  called  upon  the  Confederate  Engineers,  to 
know  what  they  lacked  for  the  immediate  completion  of  their 
works ;  and  pledged  themselves  to  supply  everything.  The  citi- 
2ens  themselves  turned  laborers,  and  drapers  and  bankers  were 
seen  at  the  port,  loading  barges  with  stone.  Two  or  three 
excellent  guns  were  mounted ;  great  timbers  were  hewn,  floated 
to  the  foot  of  Drewry's  Bluff,  and  built  into  a  row  of  cribs ; 
which,  when  ballasted  with  stone  and  bricks,  promised  to  resist 
the  momentum  of  the  heaviest  ships.  By  the  15th  of  May, 
when  the  advance  of  the  Federal  fleet  appeared,  after  their 
cautious  dallying,  these  beginnings  of  defences  were  made ;  and 
the  three  guns,  manned  by  Confederate  marines,  gloriously  beat 
off  the  gunboats  Monitor  and  Galena,  with  no  little  damage  of 
their  boasted  invulnerability. 

The  benefit  wrought  by  these  events  upon  the  temper  of  the 
people,  which  was  before  tending  fast  to  abject  discouragement, 
cannot  be  described  by  words.  The  Confederate  authorities 
had  doubtless  decided  with  perfect  correctness,  according  to  the 
technical  maxims  of  war,  that  Richmond  was  untenable;  but 
fortunately,  the  great  heart  of  the  "  Unterrified  Commonwealth  " 
was  wiser  than  the  intellect  of  the  Government.  Her  glorious 
example  sent  a  quickening  pulsation  of  generous  shame,  of  hope, 
and  of  courage,  through  the  veins  of  the  army  and  of  all  the 
States.  Throughout  the  Confederacy,  her  high  determination 
was  re-echoed ;  the  people  everywhere  resolved  rather  to  sacri 
fice  their  homes  to  the  magnanimous  work  of  defence,  than  to 
yield  them  a  coveted  prey'  to  the  enemy ;  the  Government  and 
Generals  began,  in  good  earnest,  to  prepare  for  holding  the 
Capital  against  every  assault. 

This  was,  properly,  the  main  object  of  the  campaign,  and 
all  other  movements  were  auxiliary  to  it.  General  Jackson's 


358  LIFE  OF   UEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

command  was  expected  to  concur  in  securing  the  Capital,  by  so 
dealing  with  that  of  General  Banks,  as  to  neutralize  his  co 
operation  in  movements  against  Richmond,  whatever  might  be 
the  form  they  assumed.  General  Lee,  reasoning  from  the 
strategic  principles  which  he  thought  should  have  governed 
M'Clellan  and  Banks,  and  from  news  of  partial  movements 
of  the  forces  of  the  latter  towards  Eastern  Virginia,  anticipated 
the  sudden  withdrawal  of  his  whole  army  from  the  Valley,  to 
Fredericksburg,  for  a  combined  movement  with  M-Dowell 
against  Richmond ;  or  even  to  the  peninsula.  General  Jackson 
was  steadfast  in  the  opinion,  that  Banks's  objective  point  was 
still  Staunton,  and  the  command  of  the  Central  Railroad ;  and 
he  therefore  confidently  expected  to  fight  him  in  the  Valley. 
General.  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  who,  as  commander  of  the  Depart 
ment  of  North  Virginia,  was  still  General  Jackson's  immediate 
superior,  constantly  instructed  him  and  General  Ewell,  in  his 
despatches  to  them,  to  observe  these  two  injunctions :  If  Gen 
eral  Banks  moved  his  army  to  M'Dowell  at  Fredericksburg,  to 
march  immediately  by  way  of  Gordonsville,  and  join  General 
Anderson  at  some  point  in  front  of  the  former  town ;  or  if  he 
remained  in  the  Valley,  to  fight  him  there  immediately,  only 
avoiding  the  effusion  of  blood  in  assaults  of  a  fortified  position. 
But  he  left  it  to  them  to  decide  which  of  these  alternatives  was 
about  to  become  necessary.  In  the  case  that  they  were  com 
pelled  to  follow  Banks  to  Fredericksburg,  General  Edward 
Johnson  was  to  be  left  with  his  six  regiments,  to  hold  the  Valley 
against  Fremont,  as  he  best  might.  Two  more  fine  brigades  were 
sent  from  Richmond  to  Gordonsvillc,  to  assist  General  Jackson 
in  his  movement  against  Banks;  but  before  a  junction  was 
effected  with  him,  they  were  suddenly  ordered  back  to  the 
neighborhood  of  Richmond,  to  defend  the  approaches  on  the  side 
of  Fredericksburg ;  where  they  soon  after  suffered  a  disastrous 


JUNCTION  WITH   EWELL.  359 

defeat  from  M'Clellan's  advance,  at  Hanover  Court  House. 
Jackson  was  also  very  nearly  deprived  of  the  assistance  of 
General  Ewell,  by  the  same  uneasiness  concerning  an  attack 
from  the  side  of  Fredericksburg.  After  a  series  of  despatches, 
varying  with  the  appearances  of  danger,  the  latter  General  was 
finally  instructed  by  the  Commander-in- Chief,  that  it  would  be 
necessary  for  him  to  move  at  once  from  Swift  Run  Gap  towards 
Gordonsville.  But  he  had  just  been  informed  by  General 
Jackson,  that  he  was  hastening  back,  to  effect  a  junction  with 
him  near  Harrisonburg,  and  to  assail  Banks.  Mounting  his 
horse,  without  escort,  General  Ewell  rode  express,  night  and 
day,  and  met  Jackson  on  the  Sabbath,  May  18th,  at  Mossy 
Creek,  to  inform  him  of  this  necessity  for  inflicting  so  cruel  a 
disappointment  upon  him.  The  latter  uttered  no  complaint,  and 
made  no  comment  j  although  the  sleepless  energy  with  which  he 
had  been  pressing  forward,  told  now  dear  the  project  was  to  his 
wishes.  He  meekly  replied ;  "  Then  Providence  denies  me  the 
privilege  of  striking  a  decisive  blow  for  my  country;  and  I 
must  be  satisfied  with  the  humble  task  of  hiding  my  little  army 
about  these  mountains,  to  watch  a  superior  force."  The  warm 
and  generous  heart  of  Ewell  was  touched  with  such  an  exhibi 
tion  of  unselfish  devotion,  and  was  unwilling  to  desert  him. 
He  therefore  proposed  that  if  Jackson,  under  whose  immediate 
orders  he  was,  as  ranking  Major-General,  would  assume  the 
responsibility  of  detaining  him  until  a  remonstrance  could  be 
uttered  against  his  removal,  he  would  remain.  The  contingency 
under  which  General  Jolmston  had  authorized  him  to  leave  the 
Valley  had  not  yet  occurred;  and  the  discretion  which  their 
general  instructions  conceded  to  General  Jackson,  for  regulating 
his  movements  according  to  circumstances,  authorized  such  an 
exercise  of  power.  It  was  therefore  concluded  between  them, 
that  the  junction  should  be  completed  at  New  Market,  a  day's 


360  LIFE  OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

inarch  below  Harrisonburg.  The  unwearied  Ewcll;  after  resting 
his  limbs  during  public  worship,  again  mounted  his  horse 
and  returned  to  hurry  on  his  division. 

It  is  now  time  to  pause,  and  explain  the  proceedings  of 
General  Banks.  His  precipitate  withdrawal  from  Harrison- 
burg,  upon  the  movement  of  Generals  Jackson  and  Ewell,  has 
been  described.  He  retired  first  to  New  Market,  and  then, 
leaving  a  heavy  rear-guard  in  that  region,  to  Strasbourg,  twenty 
miles  above  Winchester ;  where  he  began  fortifying  himself  in  a 
strong  position,  commanding  at  once  the  great  Valley  Turnpike 
leading  to  Winchester,  and  the  Manassa's  Railroad  leading 
towards  Alexandria.  The  cavalry  of  Ashby,  following  close 
upon  his  rear,  watched  all  the  roads  of  the  main  Valley; 
while  that  of  General  Ewell  guarded  the  communications 
between  the  Masanuttin  Mountain  and  the  Blue  Ridge.  A 
system  of  strategy  was  now  begun  by  the  Federalists,  dictated 
by  the  senseless  fears  of  the  Executive  at  Washington,  and  by 
the  judicial  blindness  dispensed  to  them  from  a  Divine  Provi 
dence  merciful  to  the  Confederates,  in  which  every  movement 
was  a  blunder.  The  aggressive  attempt  upon  Staunton  was 
postponed,  at  the  precise  juncture  when  it  should  have  been 
pressed  with  all  their  forces  combined ;  and  General  Banks  was 
consigned  to  the  defence  of  Strasbourg.  Whereas,  if  Staunton 
was  not  won  at  once,  then  his  whole  force  should  have  been 
transferred  without  delay  to  aid  an  aggressive  movement*  from 
Fredericksburg,  as  General  Lee  anticipated.  Milroy  having 
been  caught,  beaten,  and  chased,  like  a  hunted  beast,  through  the 
mountains,  Blcnker's  division  was  now  hurried  to  the  support  of 
him  and  General  Fremont.  It  arrived  just  when  Jackson  had 
left  them  alone,  and  it  left  General  Banks  just  when  he  was 
about  to  be  assailed  by  him.  Worse  than  all:  as  though  an 
.army  of  nearly  forty  thousand  men,  under  Generals  McDowell 


TOPOGRAPHY   OP   THE   VALLEY   OF   VIRGINIA.  361 

and  Augur,  were  not  enough  to  protect  the  road  from  Freder- 
icksburg  to  Washington  against  the  embarrassed  Confederates, 
Banks  detached  the  best  brigades  he  had, —  those  of  Shields  and 
Kimball,  containing  seven  thousand  men,  —  and  sent  them  on 
the  14th  of  May,  by  way  of  Luray  and  Front  Royal,  to  support 
the  forces  on  the  Rappahannock.  It  was  this  movement,  so 
unaccountable  in  its  folly,  which,  being  observed  by  General 
Ewell,  led  him  to  believe,  for  a  moment,  that  Banks's  whole  force 
had  gone  to  assail  Richmond  from  that  quarter.  This  unlucky 
General  thus  reduced  himself  to  about  eighteen  thousand  men, 
at  the  critical  moment  when  the  storm  was  about  to  burst  upon 
him.  And  he  completed  the  chapter  of  errors  in  this,  that  by 
sending  away  General  Shields  he  evacuated  the  New  Market 
Gap,  and  gave  to  General  Jackson  the  fatal  option  to  assail  him 
either  in  front  or  in  flank.  The  latter  watched  all  his  mistakes 
with  a  silent  intelligence ;  and  while  nothing  escaped  his  eagle 
eye,  it  never  betrayed  his  purposes  by  even  a  sparkle  of  elation. 
That  the  measures  now  taken  by  General  Jackson  may  be 
comprehended,  the  reader  must  recall  the  outline  already  given 
of  the  topography  of  the  Valley  of  Virginia.  From  the  neigh 
borhood  of  Elk  Run,  General  Swell's  recent  position,  to  that  of 
Strasbourg,  —  a  distance  of  fifty  miles,  —  the  Valley  is  divided 
by  the  Masanuttin,  a  high  and  precipitous  mountain,  parallel  to 
the  Blue  Ridge,  which,  at  both  its  ends,  terminates  suddenly  in 
lofty  promontories  dominating  the  plains.  The  valley  between 
it  and  the  Blue  Ridge  is  more  narrow  and  rugged  than  that  west 
of  it ;  but  it  is  watered  throughout  its  whole  length  by  the  South 
Shenandoah,  and  gives  space  enough  for  the  fertile  and  populous 
county  of  Page,  with  its  seat  of  justice  at  the  village  of  Luray. 
One  good  road  only  connects  .this  subordinate  valley  laterally 
with  the  main  Valley*— the  turnpike  across  New  Market  .Gap. 
But,  longitudinally,  the  county  of  Page  is  traversed  by  several 

46 


362  LIFE  OP  LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

excellent  highways,  parallel  to  the  general  course  of  its  river 
and  mountain  barriers.  Just  west  of  the  base  of  the  New 
Market  Gap  is  seated  the  village  of  that  name,  upon  the  great 
Valley  Turnpike,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  smiling  champaign.  The 
force  which  occupied  this  Gap,  and  commanded  this  village,  was, 
in  a  sense,  master  of  both  valleys.  This  was  the  position  which 
Banks  deserted  without  cause,  when  he  detached  General  Shields 
to  Eastern  Virginia.  As  the  traveller  proceeds  northeast  down 
the  county  of  Page,  he  enters  the  county  of  Warren,  lying  just 
where  the  lesser  valley  merges  itself  again  in  the  greater.  The 
north  fork  of  the  Shcnandoah  River,  which  coasts  the  western 
base  of  the  Masanuttin  Mountain,  turns  eastward  around  its 
northern  end  from  the  neighborhood  of  Strasbourg,  and  meets 
the  south  fork  emerging  from  the  other  valley,  near  Front  Royal, 
the  seat  of  justice  of  Warren  county.  The  excellent  paved  road 
from  this  village  to  Winchester  leads  by  a  course  of  eighteen 
miles,  across  both  branches  of  the  river,  just  above  their  union, 
and  through  a  country  of  gentle  hills,  farms,  and  woodlands, 
converging  towards  the  great  Valley  Turnpike  as  it  approaches 
the  town. 

When  Shields  evacuated  New  Market,  Colonel  Ashby  advanced 
his  quarters  to  it,  and  extended  his  pickets  to  the  neighborhood 
of  Strasbourg,  where  lie  closed  the  whole  breadth  of  the  great 
Valley,  there  much  contracted,  by  a  cordon  of  sentries.  Every 
movement  above  was  thus  screened  effectually  from  the  observa 
tion  of  General  Banks.  General  Jackson,  leaving  Mossy  Creek 
Monday,  the  19th  of  May,  proceeded  by  two  marches,  to  the 
neighborhood  of  New  Market.  He  there  met  the  fine  brigade 

*—-  O 

of  General  Richard  Taylor,  which  had  marched  from  Elk  Run 
valley  by  the  Western  side  of  •the  Masanuttin  Mountain.  On 
Wednesday,  the  21st  he  crossed  the  Nefr  Market  Gap,  and  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Luray,  completed  his  union  with  the 


VALLEY   OF    THE   SHE'NAXDOAH. 


VALLEY    OF    THE    SHENANDO AH. 


364  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

remainder  of  General  Ewell's  forces.  His  army  now  contained 
about  sixteen  thousand  effective  men,  with  forty  field  guns.  It 
was  composed  of  his  own  division,  embracing  the  brigades  of 
Winder,  Campbell,  and  Taliafcrro,  of  General  Ewell's  division, 
which  included  the  brigades  of  Taylor,  Trimble,  Elzcy,  and 
Stewart,  and  the  cavalry  regiments  of  Ashby,  Munforcl,  and 
Flournoy,  with  eight  batteries  of  artillery.  At  Mossy  Creek,  he 
had  been  met  by  Brigadier-General  George  H.  Stewart,  a  native 
of  Maryland,  whom  the  Confederate  Government  had  just  com 
missioned,  and  charged  with  the  task  of  assembling  all  the 
soldiers  from  that  State  into  one  Corps,  to  be  called  The  Mary 
land  Line.  To  begin  this  work,  General  Jackson  at  once 
assigned  to  his  command  the  First  Maryland  regiment  of 
Colonel  Bradley  T.  Johnson,  and  the  Brockenborough  Battery, 
which  was  manned  chiefly  by  citizens  of  Baltimore,  as  the 
nucleus  of  a  brigade. 

He  had  determined  to  march  by  Luray  and  Front  Eoyal,  in 
order  to  avoid  the  necessity  of  attacking  Banks  in  his  strong 
fortifications.  This  route  offered  other  advantages :  it  placed 
him  between  his  enemy  and  Eastern  Virginia,  whither  General 
Lee  feared  he  was  moving :  it  enabled  him  to  conceal  his  march 
from  Banks  more  effectually,  until  he  was  fairly  upon  his  flank : 
and  it  ensured  the  issuing  of  that  General  from  his  entrenched 
position  in  order  to  save  his  communications.  Leaving  the 
picket  line  of  Ashby  in  Banks's  front,  he  marched  with  all  his 
other  forces  towards  Front  Royal :  where,  he  was  aware,  a 
Federal  detachment  of  unknown  force  was  stationed.  The 
advance  of  the  army,  consisting,  of  the  First  Maryland  regi 
ment  and  the  battalion  of  Major  TVTheat  from  Taylor's  brigade, 
under  the  command  of  General  Stewart,  reached  the  village  about 
two  o'clock  P.  M.;  on  Friday,  May  23d.  They  had  been  ordered 
to  diverge  from  the  main  road  which  enters  the  village  from  the 


THE  FEDERALISTS   SUEPRISED.  365 

south,  into  a  rugged  pathway  across  the  hills,  which  led  them 
into  another  road  descending  into  the  village  from  the  mountains 
on  the  east.  The  surprise  of  the  Federalists  was  complete,  and 
it  was  evident  that  the  first  news  they  received  of  the  presence 
of  a  hostile  army,  was  the  volley  fired  by  Stewart  into  their 
picket,  a  mile  from  the  village.  Yet  they  showed  themselves 
prepared  to  make  a  spirited  resistance.  Their  advance  was 
speedily  driven  through  the  town,  with  the  loss  of  some  prison 
ers,  when  their  main  force  took  up  a  position  upon  a  command 
ing  height  on  the  side  next  Winchester,  overlooking  the  village, 
and  the  approach  of  the  Confederates  from  the  opposite  side. 
From  this  hill  they  cannonaded  the  troops  as  they  approached, 
but  without  effect.  The  commands  of  Colonel  Johnson  and 
Major  Wheat,  deployed  as  skirmishers,  with  a  company  of 
Cavalry  accompanying  them,  dashed  through  the  streets,  and 
across  the  fields  in  front,  with  impetuosity;  while  General 
Jackson  ordered  Taylor's  Louisiana  brigade  to  support  them 
by  a  movement  on  the  left  flank,  through  a  wood  which  lay  on 
that  side  of  the  village.  Before  this  effort  could  be  completed, 
however,  the  gallant  skirmishers  had  dislodged  the  enemy,  and 
the  General  galloped  forward  to  the  height  they  had  just  occu 
pied.  On  the  nearer  side  of  the  South  Shenandoah,  which 
flowed  just  beyond  this  hill,  was  the  enemy's  camp,  pitched  in  a 
charming  meadow  along  the  water-side,  but  now  wrapped  in 
flames,  and  sending  up  volumes  of  smoke  to  the  skies,  while 
under  its  cover,  their  whole  infantry  was  marching,  in  excellent 
order,  up  the  road  which  obliquely  ascended  from  the  other 
bank,  every  rank  distinctly  displayed  to  view.  Their  guns 
were  again  posted  on  the  rival  height  to  that  on  which  Jackson 
stood,  far  above  the  infantry,  prepared  to  protect  its  retreat. 
As  the  General  beheld  this  picture,  he  was  seized  with  uncon 
trollable  eagerness  and  impatience,  and  exclaimed :  "  Oh,  what 


366  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

an  opportunity  for  artillery !  Oh,  that  my  guns  were  here ! " 
Then  turning  almost  fiercely  to  the  only  aid  who  accompanied 
him,  he  commanded  him  to  hasten  to  the  rear,  and  "  order  up 
every  rifled  gun,  and  every  brigade  in  the  army."  Some  guns 
were,  after  a  little,  brought  up;  but  the  enemy  had  meantime 
passed  the  crest  of  the  ridge,  and  the  pursuit  was  resumed ;  the 
General  riding  among  the  skirmishers  arid  urging  them  on. 

Here  occurred  a  striking  effect  of  a  vicious  usage,  which  it 
was  the  honor  of  General  Lee  to  banish  from  the  armies  in 
Virginia.  This  was  the  custom  of  temporarily  attaching  to  the 
staff  of  a  General  commanding  a  division  or  an  army,  a  com 
pany  of  cavalry  to  do  the  work  of  orderlies  and  couriers.  By 
this  clumsy  contrivance,  the  organization  of  the  cavalry  regi 
ments  was  marred,  the  men  detached  werl  deprived  of  all 
opportunity  for  drill,  and  the  General  had  no  evidence  what 
ever  of  their  special  fitness  for  the  responsible  service  assigned 
them.  Nay,  the  Colonel  of  cavalry  required  to  furnish  them, 
was  most  likely  to  select  the  company  least  serviceable  to  him 
by  reason  of  deficient  equipments,  or  inexperience.  At  the 
time  of  the  combat  of  Front  Royal,  the  duty  of  couriers  was 
performed  for  General  Jackson,  by  a  detachment  from  one  of 
Colonel  Ashby's  undisciplined  companies,  of  whom  many  were 
raw  youths  just  recruited,  and  never  under  fire.  As  soon  as 
the  first  Federal  picket  was  driven  in,  and  free  access  to  the 
village  won,  orders  were  despatched  to  the  rear  brigades,  to 
avoid  the  laborious  and  circuitous  route  taken  by  the  advance, 
and  to  pursue  the  direct  highway  to  the  town,  a  level  tract  of 
three  miles,  in  place  of  a  precipitous  one  of  seven  or  eight. 
The  panic-struck  boy,  by  whom  the  orders  were  sent,  thought 
of  nothing  but  to  hide  himself  from  the  dreadful  sound  of  the 
cannon,  and  was  seen  no  more.  When  General  Jackson  sent 
orders  to  the  artillery  and  rear  brigades  to  hurry  to  the  pursuit, 


THE   FEDERALS   OVERTAKEN.  '367 

instead  of  being  found  near  at  hand,  upon  the  direct  road,  they 
were  at  length  overtaken,  toiling  over  the  hills  of  the  useless 
circuit,  spent  with  the  protracted  march ;  for  they  had  received 
no  instructions,  and  had  no  other  guide  than  the  footprints  of 
those  who  preceded  them.  Thus  night  overtook  them  by  the 
time  they  reached  the  village ;  and  they  lay  down  to  rest,  instead 
of  pursuing  the  enemy.  This  unfortunate  incident  taught  the 
necessity  of  a  picked  company  of  orderlies,  selected  for  their  in 
telligence  and  courage,  permanently  attached  to  head-quarters, 
and  owning  no  subordination  to  any  other  than  the  General  and 
his  staff.  Such  is  the  usage  now  prevalent  in  the  Confederate 
armies. 

But  on  this  occasion  the  enemy  did  not  escape  through  this 
accident.  In  the  forenoon,  Colonel  Ashby  and  Colonel  Flournoy 
had  been  detached  with  all  the  cavalry  except  a  company  or  two, 
to  cross  the  south  fork  of  the  Shcnandoah  at  McCoy's  Ford,  above 
the  position  of  the  Federalists,  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  the 
telegraphic  and  railroad  communications  between  Front  Royal 
and  Strasbourg,  and  of  preventing  the  passage  of  reinforcements 
or  fugitives  between  the  two  posts.  Colonel  Flournoy,  with  his 
own  and  Colonel  Munford's  regiments,  kept  a  short  distance  west 
of  the  river,  and  having  executed  his  orders,  now  appeared  upon 
the  Winchester  road,  in  the  most  timely  manner,  to  join  in  the 
pursuit.  At  the  north  fork  of  the  Shenandoah,  the  retreating 
Federalists  made  an  abortive  attempt  to  burn  the  bridge.  Before 
they  could  fully  accomplish  this  purpose  the  Confederates  were 
upon  them  and  extinguished  the  flames,  but  not  until  they  had 
made  one  span  of  the  bridge  impassable  for  horsemen.  Colonel 
Flournoy,  however,  accompanied  by  the  General,  with  difficulty 
passed  four  companies  of  his  own  regiment  across  the  river,  and 
ordering  the  remainder  to  follow,  hurried  in  pursuit.  The  Fed 
erals  were  overtaken  near  a  little  hamlet  named  Cedarville,  five 


368  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

miles  from  Front  Koyal,  where  their  whole  force,  consisting  of  a 
section  of  artillery,  two  companies  of  cavalry,  two  companies  of 
Pennsylvania  infantry,  and  the  1st  Maryland  regiment  of  Federal 
infantry,  now  placed  themselves  in  order  of  battle  to  stand  at 
bay.  General  Jackson  no  sooner  saw  them  than  he  gave  the 
order  to  charge  with  a  voice  and  air  whose  peremptory  determina 
tion  was  communicated  to  the  whole  party.  Colonel  Flournoy 
instantly  hurled  his  forces  in  column  against  the  enemy,  and 
broke  their  centre.  They,  however,  speedily  reformed  in  an 
orchard  on  the  right  of  the  turnpike,  when  a  second  gallant  and 
decisive  charge  being  made  against  them,  their  cavalry  broke 
and  fled,  the  cannoneers  abandoned  their  guns,  and  the  infantry 
threw  down  their  arms,  and  scattered  in  utter  rout.  Other  Con 
federate  troops  speedily  arriving,  the  fields  and  woods  were 
gleaned,  and  nearly  the  whole  opposing  force  was  killed  or  cap 
tured.  The  result  was,  the  possession  of  about  seven  hundred 
prisoners,  immense  stores,  and  two  fine  ten-pounder  rifle  guns. 
The  loss  of  the  patriots,  in  the  combat  and  pursuit,  was  twenty- 
six  killed  and  wounded. 

Thus,  two  hundred  and  fifty  men  were  taught,  by  the  dash 
and  genius  of  Jackson,  to  destroy  a  force  of  four  times  their 
number.  His  quick  eye  estimated  aright  the  discouragement  of 
the  enemy,  and  their  wavering  temper.  Infusing  his  own  spirit 
into  the  men,  he  struck  the  hesitating  foe  at  the  decisive  moment, 
and  shattered  them.  A  glorious  share  of  the  credit  is  also  due 
to  the  officers  and  men  of  the  detachment.  General  Jackson 
declared  with  emphasis  to  his  staff,  that  he  had  never,  in  all  his 
experience  of  warfare,  seen  a  cavalry  charge  executed  with  such 
efficiency  and  gallantry ;  commendation,  which,  coming  from  his 
guarded  and  sober  lips,  was  decided  enough  to  satisfy  every 
heart. 

While  these  occurrences  were  in  progress,  Colonel  Ashby,  after 


BANKS ?S   COMMUNICATIONS   COMMANDED.  369 

crossing  at  McCoy's  ford,  inclined  still  farther  to  the  west,  so  as 
to  skirt  the  northern  base  of  the  Masanuttin  Mountain.  His 
route  led  him  to  Buckton,  the  intermediate  station  of  the  rail 
road,  between  Front  Royal  and  Strasbourg,  where  he  found  a 
body  of  the  enemy  posted  as  a  guard,  behind  the  railroad  em 
bankment,  and  in  a  store-house  or  barn  of  logs,  which  afforded 
them  secure  protection  from  his  fire.  Dismounting  his  men;  he  led 
them  in  person  against  the  Federals,  and  speedily  dispersed  them. 
The  track  of  the  road  was  then  effectually  destroyed,  so  as  to 
prevent  the  passage  of  trains.  But  in  this  hazardous  onset, 
several  of  his  soldiers  were  lost,  and  among  them,  his  two  best 
captains,  Fletcher  and  Sheetz.  The  latter  especially,  although 
the  year  before  but  a  comely  youth  taken  from  the  farm  of  his 
father,  had  already  shown  himself  a  man  of  no  common  mark. 
Collecting  a  company  of  youths  like  himself  in  the  valleys  of 
Hampshire,  he  had  armed  them  wholly  from  the  spoils  of  the 
enemy,  and  without  any  other  military  knowledge  than  the  intui 
tions  of  his  own  good  sense,  had  drilled  and  organized  them  into 
an  efficient  body.  He  speedily  became  a  famous  partisan  and 
scout,  the  terror  of  the  invaders,  and  the  right  hand  of  his 
Colonel.  Sheetz  was  ever  next  the  enemy;  if  pursuing,  in  com 
mand  of  the  advanced  guard ;  or  if  retreating,  closing  the  rear : 
and  Jackson  had  learned  to  rely  implicitly  upon  his  intelligence ; 
for  his  courage,  enterprise,  sobriety  of  mind,  and  honesty,  assured 
the  authenticity  of  all  his  reports. 

The  skirmishers  of  General  Ewell  had  now  penetrated  within 
four  miles  of  Winchester,  and  the  whole  Confederate  army,  col 
lected  along  the  turnpike  leading  from  Front  Royal  to  that  place, 
commanded  Banks's  communications,  by  numerous  easy  ap 
proaches.  On  the  morning  of  Saturday,  May  24th,  that  ill- 
starred  General,  who  was  beaten  before  he  fought,  had  only  fhree 
practicable  expedients.  One  was  to  retreat  to  the  Potomac  by 

47 


370  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

the  "Winchester  road:  another  to  defend  himself  at  Strasbourg: 
the  other,  to  avail  himself  of  the  Confederate  advance  on  the 
former  town  to  pass  their  rear  at  Front  Royal,  and  so  seek  a 
refuge  towards  Manassa's  Junction  and  Alexandria.  But  he  was 
now  in  the  clutches  of  a  master,  who  had  his  wary  eye  upon 
every  contingency.  Jackson  determined  to  move  the  body  of  his 
army  neither  to  Strasbourg  nor  to  Winchester,  but  to  Middle- 
town;  a  village  upon  the  great  Winchester  road,  five  or  six  miles 
from  Strasbourg,  and  thirteen  from  the  latter  place.  General 
Ewell,  with  Trimble's  brigade,  the  1st  Maryland  regiment,  and 
the  batteries  of  Brockenborough  and  Courtney,  was  directed  to 
pursue  his  movement  upon  Winchester  by  the  Front  Royal  road, 
observing  appearances  of  the  enemy's  retreat,  and  prepared  to 
strike  him  in  flank.  Brigadier- General  Stewart,  in  temporary 
command  of  the  cavalry  regiments  of  Munford  and  Fiournoy, 
was  directed  to  strike  the  Winchester  road  at  the  village  of  New- 
town,  nine  miles  from  that  town,  with  directions  to  observe  the 
movements  of  the  enemy  at  that  point.  General  Jackson  him 
self,  with  all  the  remainder  of  the  army,  marched  by  a  cross  road 
from  Cedarville  towards  Middletown.  Colonel  Ashby's  cavalry 
was  in  front,  supported  by  Chew's  battery,  and  two  rifled  guns 
from  the  famous  battery  of  Pcndleton,  now  commanded  by  Cap 
tain  Poaguc.  Next  followed  the  brigade  of  Taylor,  and  the 
remainder  of  the  infantry.  Colonel  Ashby  kept  Ms  scouts  on 
his  left  extended  to  the  railroad,  so  as  to  note  any  signs  of  a 
movement  towards  Front  Royal.  All  the  detachments  of  the 
army  were  in  easy  communication;  and  whether  the  enemy 
attempted  to  make  a  stand  at  Strasbourg,  at  Winchester,  or 
at  any  intermediate  point,  the  whole  force  could  be  rapidly  con 
centrated  against  him.  Before  the  main  body  was  fairly  in 
motion,  Brigadier-General  Stewart  had  already  sent  news  of  his 
arrival  at  Ncwtown,  where  he  captured  a  number  of  ambulances, 


STRIKES   THE   RETREATING   ARMY.  .",71 

with  prisoners  and  medical  stores,  and  found  evident  signs  of  a 
general  retreat  upon  Winchester. 

General  Jackson  now  advanced  upon  Middletown,  confident 
that  his  first  surmise  would  be  confirmed,  and  that  he  should 
strike  the  retreating  army  upon  the  march.  Half-way  between 
that  place  and  Middletown,  his  advance  was  confronted  by  a 
body  of  Federal  cavalry,  evidently  sent  to  observe  him.  .  Cap 
tain  Poague's  section  of  artillery  being  then  in  front,  the  General 
ordered  him  instantly  to  gallop  forward,  take  a  position  at  short 
range,  and  fire  into  them.  This  was  done  with  perfect  success, 
and  the  detachment  scattered ;  which  was  a  novel  instance  of  a 
charge  effected  by  field  artillery.  When  the  little  village  of 
Middlctown  came  in  view,  across  the  broad  and  level  fields,  the 
highway  passing  through  it,  at  right  angles  to  the  direction  of 
General  Jackson's  approach,  was  seen  canopied  with  a  -vast 
cloud  of  gray  dust,  and  crowded  beneath,  as  far  as  the  eye 
could  reach,  with  a  column  of  troops.  At  the  sight,  the  artillery 
dashed  forward  in  a  gallop  for  a  rising  ground,  whence  to  tear 
their  ranks  with  shell.  Ashby  swooped  down  upon  the  right 
like  an  eagle ;  cut  through  their  path,  and  arrested  their  escape 
on  that  side ;  while  General  Taylor  throwing  his  front  regiment 
into  line,  advanced  at  a  double  quick  to  the  centre  of  the  village, 
his  men  cheering  and  pouring  a  terrific  volley  into  the  confused 
mass  which  filled  the  street.  Never  did  a  host  receive  a  more 
mortal  thrust.  In  one  moment,  the  way  was  encumbered  with 
dying  horses  and  men ;  and  at  every  fierce  volley,  the  troopers 
seemed  to  melt  by  scores  from  their  saddles ;  while  the  frantic, 
riderless  horses,  rushed  up  and  down,  trampling  the  wounded 
wretches  into  the  dust.  But  the  astute  cowardice  of  the  Fed 
erals,  made  the  real  carnage  far  less  than  the  apparent ;  they 
fell  from  their  horses  before  they  were  struck,  and  were  found, 
when  the  victors  leaped  into  the  road,  squat  behind  the  stone 


372  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

fences  which  bordered  it,  in  long  and  crowded  lines,  where  they 
all  surrendered  at  the  first  challenge.  Among  the  remainder  of 
the  Federal  cavalry,  the  wildest  confusion  ensued,  and  they  scat 
tered  in  various  directions.  Two  hundred  prisoners  and  horses 
with  their  equipments,  remained  in  the  hands  of  the  Confed 
erates  at  this  spot.  But  it  did  not  yet  appear  what  part  of  the 
retreating  army  was  above,  and  what  below,  the  point  of  assault. 
As  soon  as  the  bullets  ceased  to  fly,  the  astonished  citizens 
gathered  around ;  and  when  they  saw  the  miserable,  begrimed, 
and  bloody  wreck  of  what  had  just  been  a  proud  regiment  of 
Vermont  cavalry,  they  exclaimed  with  uplifted  hands ;  "  Behold 
the  righteous  judgment  of  God  j  for  these  are  the  miscreants  who 
have  been  most  forward  to  plunder,  insult,  and  oppress  us!" 
By  some  of  them,  General  Jackson  was  informed,  that  dense 
columns  of  infantry,  trains  of  artillery,  and  long  lines  of  baggage- 
wagons,  had  been  passing  from  Strasbourg  since  early  morning. 
Many  wagons  were  seen  disappearing  in  the  distance  towards 
Winchester,  and  Colonel  Ashby,  with  his  cavalry,  some  artillery, 
and  a  supporting  infantry  force  from  Taylor's  brigade,  was  sent 
in  pursuit.  But  a  few  moments  elapsed  before  the  Federal  artil 
lery,  which  had  been  cut  off  with  the  rear  of  their  army,  began 
to  shell  the  village  from  the  direction  of  Strasbourg.  General 
Jackson,  regarding  this  as  an  indication  of  a  purpose  to  cut  a 
way  for  retreat  through  his  forces,  immediately  formed  Taylor's 
brigade  south  of  the  village,  and  advanced  it,  with  a  few  guns,  to 
meet  their  attempt.  The  brigade  of  Colonel  Campbell  soon  after 
arriving,  was  brought  up  to  support  it.  But  the  enemy's  courage 
was  not  adequate  to  so  bold  an  exploit ;  the  cannonade  was  only 
tentative;  and,  after  a  short  skirmish,  a  column  of  flame  and 
smoke  arising  from  the  valley  of  Cedar  Creek  told  that  they  had 
fired  the  bridge  over  that  stream,  in  order  to  protect  themselves 
from  attack.  This  fragment  of  the  broken  army,  which  was 


PURSUIT  TO   WINCHESTER.  373 

probably  small  in  numbers,  finally  fled  westward;  and  either 
took  refuge  with  General  Fremont  in  the  valley  of  the  South 
Branch,  or  made  its  way,  piecemeal,  to  the  Potomac,  along  the 
base  of  the  Great  North  Mountain.  A  large  amount  of  baggage 
fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victors  at  the  scene  of  this  combat ; 
entire  regiments,  apparently  in  line  of  battle,  having  laid  down 
their  knapsacks,  and  abandoned  them. 

General  Jackson  was  now  convinced  that  the  larger  game  was 
in  the  direction  of  Winchester,  and  returned  with  his  whole  force 
to  pursue  it.  The  Stonewall  Brigade,  which  had  jiow  come  up, 
took  the  front,  and  the  whole  army  advanced  towards  Newtown. 
The  deserted  wagon-train  of  the  enemy  was  found  standing,  in 
many  cases  with  the  horses  attached,  and  occupied  the  road  for 
a  mile.  Upon  approaching  Newtown,  the  General  was  disap 
pointed  to  find  his  artillery  arrested,  and  wholly  unsupported  by 
the  cavalry ;  while  the  enemy,  taking  heart  from  the  respite,  had 
placed  two  batteries  in  position  on  the  left  and  right  of  this 
village,  and  again  showed  a  determined  front.  Nearly  the  whole 
of  Colonel  Ashby's  cavalry  present  with  him,  with  a  part  of  the 
infantry  under  his  command,  had  disgracefully  turned  aside  to 
pillage ;  so  that  their  gallant  commander  was  compelled  to  arrest 
the  pursuit.  Indeed,  the  firing  had  not  ceased,  in  the  first  onset 
upon  the  Federal  cavalry  at  Middletown,  before  some  of  Ashby's 
men  might  have  been  seen,  with  a  quickness  more  suitable  to 
horse-thieves  than  to  soldiers,  breaking  from  their  ranks,  seizing 
each  two  or  three  of  the  captured  horses,  and  making  off  across 
the  fields.  Nor  did  these  men  pause  until  they  had  carried  their 
illegal  booty  to  their  homes,  which  were,  in  some  instances,  at 
the  distance  of  one  or  two  days'  journey.  That  such  extreme 
disorders  could  occur,  and  that  they  could  be  passed  over  without 
a  bloody  punishment,  reveals  the  curious  inefficiency  of  officers 
in  the  volunteer  Confederate  army. 


374  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

The  rifled  guns  of  Captain  Poague  were  immediately  placed 
in  position  upon  arriving  near  Newtown,  on  an  opposing  emi 
nence,  and  replied  to  the  Federal  battery  upon  the  right  of  the 
village  with  effect ;  but  it  was  sunset  before  they  were  dislodged, 
and  the  pursuit  resumed.  The  enemy  had  improved  this  pause  to 
set  fire  to  a  large  part  of  their  train  containing  valuable  stores ; 
and,  as  the  army  advanced,  the  gathering  darkness  was  illumi 
nated  for  a  mile  by  blazing  wagons  and  pontoon  boats;  while 
blackened  heaps  of  rice,  beef,  and  bread,  intermingled  with  the 
bands  and  bars  of  glowing  iron,  showed  where  carriages  laden 
with  these  stores  had  been  consumed. 

General  Jackson's  perfect  knowledge  of  the  ground  surround 
ing  Winchester,  suggested  to  him  the  fear  that  the  Federalists 
would  occupy  the  range  of  hills  to  the  left  of  the  turnpike  and 
southwest  of  the  town,  so  as  to  command  his  approaches.  •  He 
therefore  determined  to  press  them  all  night,  in  the  hope  of 
seizing  the  contested  heights  during  the  darkness.  Without  a 
moment's  pause  for  food  or  sleep,  the  army  marched  forward  in 
perfect  order,  some  of  the  brigades  enlivening  their  fatigues  from 
time  to  time  with  martial  music,  while  ringing  cheers  passed, 
like  a  wave,  down  the  column  for  four  miles,  until  their  sound 
was  lost  in  the  distance.  The  last  time  Jackson's  division  had 
passed  over  this  road,  they  were  making  their  slow  and  stubborn 
retreat  from  the  bloody  field  of  Kernstown  j  and  they  were  now 
eager  to  wipe  out  the  disgrace  of  that  check.  The  night  was 
calm,  but  dark.  All  night  long,  the  General  rode  at  the  front, 
amidst  a  little  advanced  guard  of  cavalry,  seeking  the  enemy's 
bleeding  haunches  with  the  pertinacity  of  a  blood-hound.  Again 
and  again  he  fell,  with  his  escort,  into  ambuscades  of  their  rifle 
men,  posted  behind  the  stone  fences,  which  here  line  the  road 
almost  continuously.  Suddenly  the  fire  appeared,  dancing 
along  the  top  of  the  wall,  accompanied  by  the  sharp  explosion 


A  NIGHT   COMBAT.  375 

of  the  rifles,  and  the  bullets  came  hissing  up  the  road.  The 
first  of  these  surprises  occurred  soon  after  the  burning  wagons 
were  passed.  No  sooner  had  the  fire  begun,  than  the  General, 
seeing  his  escort  draw  rein  and  waver,  cried  in  a  command 
ing  tone :  "  Charge  them !  Charge  them ! "  They  advanced 
unsteadily  a  little  space,  and  then,  at  a  second  volley,  turned 
and  fled  past  him,  leaving  him  in  the  road  with  his  staff  alone. 
But  the  enemy,  equally  timid,  also  retired,  seemingly  satisfied 
with  their  effort.  The  conduct  of  these  troopers  filled  Jackson 
with  towering  indignation ;  and  turning  to  the  officer  next  him, 
he  exclaimed:  "Shameful!  Did  you  see  anybody  struck,  sir? 
Did  you  see  anybody  struck  ?  Surely  they  need  not  have  run, 
at  least  until  they  were  hurt!"  Skirmishers  from  the  33d  Vir 
ginia  infantry  of  Colonel  Ncff,  were  now  tin-own  into  the  fields 
right  and  left  of  the  turnpike,  and  advancing  abreast  with  the 
head  of  the  column,  protected  it  for  a  time  from  similar  insults. 
But  as  it  approached  Barton's  Mills,  five  miles  from  Winchester, 
the  enemy,  posted  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  again  received  it 
~ith  so  severe  a  fire,  that  the  cavalry  advance  retired  precipi 
tately  out  of  it,  carrying  the  General  and  liis  attendants  along 
with  them,  and  riding  down  several  cannoneers,  who  had  been 
brought  up  to  their  support.  So  pertinacious  was  the  stand  of 
the  Federalists  here,  the  27th,  2nd,  and  5th  Virginia  regiments 
were  brought  up,  and  the  affair  grew  to  the  dimensions  of  a 
night-combat,  before  they  gave  way.  A  similar  skirmish  oc 
curred  at  Kernstown  also,  in  which  a  few  of  the  enemy  were 
killed  and  captured.  The  army  was  now  not  far  from  its  goal ; 
and  the  General,  commanding  the  skirmishers  to  continue  a" 
cautious  advance,  caused  the  remainder  to  halt,  and  lie  down 
upon  the  road-side,  for  an  hour's  sleep.  He  himself,  without  a 
cloak  to  protect  him  from  the  chilling  dews,  stood  sentry  at  the 
head  of  the  column,  listening  to  every  sound  from  the  front. 


376  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

Meanwhi!e;  the  wearied  skirmishers  pressed  on,  with  a  patient 
endurance  beyond  all  praise,  drenched  with  the  dews,  wading 
through  the  rank  fields  of  clover  and  wheat,  and  stumbling 
across  ditches,  until  their  tired  limbs  would  scarcely  obey  their 
wills.  When  the  early  dawn  came  to  their  relief,  the  heights 
commanding  Winchester  were  in  sight,  and  against  the  faint 
blush  of  the  morning  sky  the  figures  of  the  Federal  skirmishers 
upon  the  crest  were  distinctly  relieved.  The  tired  Confederates 
having  rested  a  short  time,  General  Jackson,  in  a  quiet  under 
tone,  gave  the  word  to  march,  which  was  passed  down  the 
column;  and  the  host  rising  from  its  short  sleep,  chill  and  stiff 
with  the  cold  night-damps,  advanced  to  battle. 

The  town  of  Winchester  is  seated  upon  ground  almost  level ; 
and  such  also  is  the  surface  south  and  east  of  it,  through  which 
the  .great  roads  from  Strasbourg  and  Front-Royal  approach. 
The  former,  especially,  passes  through  smooth  fields  and  meadows, 
by  a  smiling  suburb  and  mill-house,  a  mile  from  the  town  ;*  after 
which  it  surmounts  a  gentle  ascent,  and  enters  the  street.  But 
toward  the  southwest,  a  cluster  of  beautiful  hills  projects  itself 
for  a  mile  toward  the  left,  commanding  the  town,  the  turnpike, 
and  the  adjacent  country.  They  were  then  enclosed  with  fences 
of  wood  or  stone,  and  covered  with  luxuriant  clover  and  pastur 
age,  with  here  and  there  a  forest-grove  crowning  the  eminences 
farthest  west.  Why  the  enemy  did  not  post  their  powerful 
artillery  upon  the  foremost  of  these  heights,  supported  by  their 
main  force,  can  only  be  explained  by  that  infatuation  which 
possessed  them,  by  the  will  of  God,  throughout  these  events. 
When  General  Jackson  arrived  near  them  at  early  dawn,  with 
the  main  column,  he  found  them  occupied  by  a  skirmish  line 
only.  After  a  careful  examination  of  a  few  minutes,  he  ordered 
General  Winder  to  bring  forward  the  Stonewall  Brigade ;  which, 
forming  in  line  of  battle  with  the  5th  Virginia  on  the  right, 


RECONNOITRES   THE   ENEMY  ?S   POSITION.  377 

advanced,  and  speedily  dislodged  the  enemy  from  the  first  line 
of  eminences.  The  General  immediately  advanced  a  strong 
detachment  of  artillery,  composed  of  the  batteries  of  Poague, 
Carpenter  and  Cutshaw,  and  posted  them  advantageously  just 
behind  the  crests  of  the  hill.  The  enemy's  main  force  now  dis 
closed  itself,  occupying  a  convex  line  upon  the  high  grounds, 
south,  and  southwest  of  the  town;  and  while  the  Stonewall 
Brigade,  with  that  of  Colonel  John  A.  Campbell,  were  disposed 
as  supports  to  the  batteries ;  a  fierce  cannonade,  intermingled 
with  a  sharp,  rattling  fire  of  riflemen,  greeted  the  rising  sun. 
The  May  dews,  exhaled  by  his  beams,  wrapped  a  part  of  the 
landscape  in  a  silvery  veil,  into  which  the  smoke  of  the  artillery 
melted  away.  Just  at  this  moment,  General  Jackson  rode  for 
ward,  followed  by  two  field  officers,  Colonel  Campbell  and 
another,  to  the  very  crest  of  the  hill,  and  amidst  a  perfect 
shower  of  balls,  reconnoitred  the  whole  position.  Both  the 
officers  beside  him  were  speedily  wounded,  but  he  sat  calmly 
upon  his  horse,  until  he  had  satisfied  himself  concerning  the 
enemy's  dispositions.  He  saw  them  posting  another  battery 
upon  an  eminence  far  to  his  left,  whence  they  hoped  to  enfilade 
the  ground  occupied  by  the  guns  of  Poague ;  and,  nearer  to  his 
left  front,  a  body  of  riflemen  were  just  seizing  a  position 
behind  an  oblique  stone  fence,  whence  they  poured  a  galling 
fire  upon  the  gunners,  and  struck  down  many  men  and  horses. 
Here  this  gallant  battery  stood  its  ground,  sometimes  almost 
silenced,  yet  never  yielding  an  inch.  After  a  time,  by  direc 
tion  .of  General  Winder,  they  changed  their  front  to  the  left, 
so  as  to  present  a  more  successful  face  to  their  adversaries; 
and  while  a  part  of  their  guns  replied  to  the  opposing  bat 
tery,  the  remainder  shattered  the  stone  fence  which  sheltered  the 
Federal  infantry,  with  solid  shot,  and  raked  it  with  canister. 
Carpenter  and  Cutshaw  also  kept  up  so  spirited  a  contest  with 

48 


378  LIFE  OP  LIEUT. -GENEEAL  JACKSON". 

the  batteries  in  the  direction  of  the  town,  as  to  silence  their  fire. 
General  Jackson  was  hard  to  be  convinced  that  the  enemy  would 
be  so  foolish  as  to  yield  the  contest,  without  an  attempt  to  drive 
his  artillery  from  this  vital  position,  and  to  occupy  it  with  their 
own.  At  this  stage  of  the  battle,  he  rode  up  fo  Colonel  Neff,  of 
the  33d  Virginia,  supporting  the  battery  of  Carpenter,  and  after 
ordering  the  latter  not  to  slacken  his  fire,  said  to  the  former ; 
"Colonel,  where  is  your  regiment  posted?"  "Here/'  he 
replied ;  "  the  right  masked  in  this  depression  of  ground,  and 
the  left  behind  that  fence."  Said  the  General,  "I  expect  the 
enemy  to  bring  artillery  to  this  hill  j  and  they  must  not  do  it ! 
do  you  understand  me,  sir  !  They  must  not  do  it !  Keep  a  good 
look  out ;  and  your  men  well  in  hand ;  and  if  they  attempt  to 
come,  charge  them  with  the  bayonet;  and  seize  their  guns: 
Clamp  them,  sir,  on  the  spot."  As  he  gave  this  order,  his 
clenched  hand  and  strident  voice  declared  the  energy  of  his 
fiery  will,  in  such  sort  as  to  make  the  blood  of  every  beholder 
tingle. 

But  the  narrative  must  pause  here,  to  return  to  the  movements 
of  General  Ewell.  During  the  previous  evening,  he  had  pressed 
the  enemy  back  from  the  direction  of  Front  Royal,  until  his 
advanced  regiment,  the  21st  North  Carolina,  Colonel  Kirklaud 
was  within  two  miles  of  Winchester.  Here  he  rested  his 
advance  at  10  o'clock  P.  M.,  and  his  command  slept  upon  their 
arms.  At  dawn  he  moved  simultaneously  with  General  Jackson, 
and  the  first  guns  of  Carpenter  were  answered  from  the  east, 
by  those  of  his  batteries.  He  advanced  his  left,  Colonel 
Kirklaiid  still  in  front,  until  he  was  met  by  a  fire  of  musketry 
from  the  enemy's  line,  posted  behind  a  stone  fence,  so  destructive 
that  the  field  officers  were  all  wounded,  and  the  gallant 
regiment  compelled  to  recoil.  This  check  was  speedily  retrieved 
bv  the  21st  Georgia  regiment,  which  in  turn  drove  the  enemy's 


CRISIS   OF   THE  BATTLE.  379 

infantry  from  their  cover.  But  General  Ewell/  upon  the 
suggestion  of  Brigadier- General  Trimble,  was  convinced  that 
his  better  policy  would  be  to  move  by  his  right.  Bringing  the 
remainder  of  his  regiments  forward,  he  executed  this  movement, 
and  the  enemy  began  at  once  to  give  way  from  his  front. 

The  battle  had  now  reached  a  stage  which  General  Jackson 
perceived  to  be  critical ;  the  hour  for  striking  the  final  blow  had 
arrived.  The  enemy  were  evidently  moving,  by  a  still  wider 
circuit,  towards  the  wooded  heights  which  commanded  his 
extreme  left.  He  now  sent  for  the  fine  brigade  of  General 
Taylor,  which  was  at  the  head  of  the  column  of  reserve,  in 
the  rear  of  the  mill-house.  Before  the  messenger  could  bring 
it  up,  his  eagerness  overcame  him,  and  he  was  seen  riding 
rapidly  to  meet  it.  Conducting  it  by  a  hollow  way,  around  the 
rear  of  his  centre,  he  directed  its  rapid  formation  in  line  of 
battle,  with  the  left  regiments  thrown  forward  to  the  westward 
of  the  enemy's  position.  Under  a  shower  of  shells  and  rifle- 
balls,  this  magnificent  body  of  troops  wheeled  from  column  into 
line,  with  the  accuracy  and  readiness  of  a  parade.  As  soon 
as  General  Jackson  saw  them  in  motion  in  the  desired  direction, 
he  galloped  along  the  rear  of  his  line  toward  the  centre,  giving 
the  word  for  a  general  advance.  When  l.c  reached  the  hill 
occupied  by  the  battery  of  Carpenter,  where  he  had  so  exposed 
himself  at  the  beginning,  he  mounted  it  again,  with  an  air  of 
<iager  caution,  peering  like  a  deer-stalker  over  its  summit,  as 
soon  as  his  eyes  reached  its  level.  His  first  glance  was 
sufficient ;  setting  spurs  to  his  horse,  he  bounded  upon  the  crest, 
and  shouted  to  the  officers  near  him :  "  Forward,  after  the 
enemy  !"  No  more  inspiring  sight  ever  greeted  the  eyes  of  a 
victorious  captain.  Far  to  the  east,  the  advancing  lines  of 
Ewcll  rolled  forward,  concealed  in  waves  of  white  smoke,  from 
their  volleys  of  musketry,  and  were  rapidly  overpassing  the 


380 


LIFE   OP  LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSON. 


suburbs  of  the  town.  On  the  West,  the  long  and  glittering 
lines  of  Taylor,  after  one  thundering  discharge,  were  sweeping 
at  a  bayonet  charge  up  the  reverse  of  the  hills,  with  irresistible 
momentum.  Nearer  the  General,  came  the  Stonewall  Brigade, 
with  the  gallant  23d  Virginia,  who  sprung  from  their  lairs,  and 
rushed  panting  down  the  hill-sides.  Between  him  and  the  town 
the  enemy  were  everywhere  breaking  away  from  the  walls  and 
fences  where  they  had  sheltered  themselves,  at  first  with  some 
semblance  of  order,  but  then  dissolving  into  a  vast  confusion,  in 
which  the  infantry,  mounted  officers,  and  artillery  crowded  and 
surged  toward  the  streets.  But  they  found  neither  shelter  nor 
respite  there ;  the  eager  Confederates  were  too  close  upon  them 
to  allow  time  for  any  arrangements  for  defence.  For  a  few 
moments,  pursuers  and  pursued  were  swallowed  from  view,  and 
the  rout  roared  through  every  street,  with  rattling  rifle-shots, 
and  ringing  cheers  of  the  victors,  until  it  disgorged  itself  upon 
the  commons  north  of  the  town.  The  General,  with  his  face 
inflamed  with  towering  passion  and  triumph,  galloped  amidst 
the  foremost  pursuers,  and  urged  them  upon  the  enemy.  The 
sidewalks  and  doorways  were  thronged  with  children,  women, 
and  old  men,  who  rushed  out,  regardless  of  the  balls,  to  hail 
the  conquerors.  Of  these,  some  ran  in  among  the  horses,  as 
though  to  embrace  the  knees  of  their  deliverers ;  many  were 
wildly  waving  their  arms  or  handkerchiefs,  and  screaming  their 
welcome  in  cheers  and  blessings,  while  not  a  few  of  the  more 
thoughtful  were  seen,  standing  upon  their  doorsteps,  with  their 
solemn  faces  bathed  in  tears,  and  spreading  forth  their  hands 
to  heaven,  in  adoration.  To  complete  the  thrilling  scene,  two 
great  buildings,  in  different  places,  were  vomiting  volumes  of 
flame  and  smoke,  which  threatened  to  involve  all  in  one  common 
ruin ;  for  the  enemy,  in  cowardly  spite,  lighted  them,  and  left 
them  in  flames  in  the  midst  of  the  town.*  But  not  one  of  the 


ABSENCE   OP   CAVALRY.  381 

endangered  citizens  sought  to  arrest  any  pursuing  soldier  for 
this ;  and  after  the  first  frenzy  of  their  joy  was  passed,  the  old 
men  and  the  females  set  to,  and  extinguished  the  fires.  Delicate 
women  were  seen  bringing  water,  and  rushing  into  the  burning 
building,  stored  with  the  ammunition  of  the  enemy,  to  drag  out 
the  Federal  sick  and  wounded,  who  had  been  left  there  by  their 
comrades,  to  be  overwhelmed  in  the  explosion  which  they 
expected  to  follow. 

When  General  Jackson  issued  into  the  open  ground  again  at 
the  Martinsburg  Turnpike,  all  the  fields,  which  the  depredations 
of  the  enemy  had  converted  into  a  waste  denuded  of  fences  and 
crops,  were  dark  with  a  confused  multitude  of  fugitives,  utterly 
without  order  or  thought  of  resistance.  From  the  head  of  every 
street,  eager  columns  of  Confederates  were  pouring,  and  deploy 
ing  without  awaiting  the  commands  of  their  officers,  into  an 
irregular  line,  in  order  to  fire  upon  the  retreating  mass.  As 
this  surged  wildly  away  it  left  scattered  over  the  common  its 
human  wrecks,  in  the  shape  of  dead  and  dying,  intermingled 
with  knapsacks,  arms,  and  bundles  of  stolen  goods.  Upon 
glancing  around  this  picture,  the  General  exclaimed ;  "  Never 
was  there  such  a  chance  for  cavalry ;  oh  that  my  cavalry  were 
in  place ! "  When  an  officer  near  him  remarked  that  the  best 
substitute  for  a  cavalry  pursuit  would  be  the  fire  of  the  field 
artillery,  he  replied ;  "  Yes ;  go  back  and  order  up  the  nearest 
batteries  you  find."  After  despatching  this  order,  he  sent  another 
member  of  his  staff,  with  the  characteristic  command,  "  to  order 
every  battery  and  every  brigade  forward  to  the  Potomac."  In 
his  official  report  he  says ;  "  Never  have  I  seen  an  opportunity 
when  it  was  in  the  power  of  the  cavalry,  to  reap  a  richer  harvest 
of  the  fruits  of  victory."  And  again;  "There  is  good  reason 
for  believing  that,  had  the  cavalry  played  its  part  in  this  pursuit 
as  well  as  the  four  companies  under  Colonel  Flournoy,  two  days 


382  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

before,  in  the  pursuit  from  Front  Royal,  but  a  small  portion 
of  Banks's  army  would  have  made  its  escape  to  the  Potomac." 
The  cause  of  this  untimely  absence  of  the  cavalry  may  be 
surmised  by  the  reader,  as  to  that  part  under  Colonel  Ashby. 
Disorganized  by  its  initial  success,  it  was  so  scattered  that  its 
heroic  leader  could  gather  but  a  handful  around  him  on  the 
morning  of  the  battle.  With  these  he  had  undertaken  an  inde 
pendent  enterprise,  to  cut  off  a  detachment  of  Federalists  on 
their  left ;  and  passing  around  the  scene  of  action  he  joined  in 
the  pursuit  many  hours  after,  at  Bunker  Hill.  The  2d  and  6th 
regiments  had  been  placed  under  the  temporary  command 
of  Brigadier- General  George  H.  Stewart,  of  General  Swell's 
division.  As  they  did  not  appear  after  the  pursuit  had  been 
continued  for  some  time,  General  Jackson  sent  his  Aide,  Captain 
Pcndleton,  after  them.  General  Stewart  replied  that  he  was 
awaiting  the  orders  of  General  Ewell,  under  whose  immediate 
command  he  was,  and  could  not  move  without  them.  While 
these  were  obtained,  precious  time  was  wasted,  and  two  hours 
elapsed  before  the  two  regiments  were  upon  the  traces  of  the 
enemy.  That  a  superior  officer,  addressing  his  commands  to 
persons  under  the  orders  of  his  inferior,  should  direct  them 
through  him,  if  he  is  present,  is  a  proper  mark  of  consideration, 
and  a  means  of  regularity  in  governing.  But  it  is  a  most 
effectual  way  to  rob  a  commanding  general  of  his  command,  to 
assume  that  he  may  not  claim  the  services  of  the  subordinate 
of  his  own  subordinate,  in  the  absence  of  the  latter ;  when,  if  he 
were  present,  he  could  legitimately  control  him  and  all  under 
him.  The  utmost  which  the  former  could  ask,  when  receiving 
orders  without  the  intervention  of  his  immediate  superior, 
would  be,  that  his  commanding  general  should  remember  to 
explain  to  that  officer  the  orders  thus  given  in  his  absence. 
After  pursuing  for  a  few  miles  with  infantry  and  artillery, 


THE.  ARMY  REPOSES.  383 

f 

General  Jackson  perceived  that  the  interval  between  his  men 
and  the  enemy  was  continually  widening.  The  warm  mid-day 
was  now  approaching,  and  since  the  morning  of  the  previous 
day,  the  troops  had  been  continually  marching  or  fighting,  with 
out  food  or  rest.  Nature  could  do  no  more.  At  every  step 
some  wearied  man  was  compelled  to  drop  out 'of  the  ranks  by 
overpowering  fatigue.  The  General  therefore  ordered  the 
infantry  to  cease  their  pursuit,  and  return  to  the  pleasant 
groves  of  Camp  Stevenson,  three  miles  north  of  Winchester,  for 
rest  and  rations,  while  the  cavalry,  which  had  now  arrived, 
assumed  the  duty  of  pressing  the  enemy.  This  General  Stewart 
performed  with  skill  and  energy,  picking  up  a  number  of  pris 
oners,  and  driving  the  Federalists  through  Martinsburg,  and 
across  the  Potomac  at  Williamsport.  General  Banks  was  one 
of  the  first  fugitives  to  appear  at  Martinsburg,  having  deserted 
his  army  long  before  the  conclusion  of  the  battle.  His  forces 
were  thus  driven  without  pause,  and  within  the  space  of  thirty- 
six  hours,  a  distance  of  sixty  miles.  At  Martinsburg,  enormous 
accumulations  of  army  stores  again  fell  into  the  victors'  hands. 
When  the  cavalry  drove  the  last  of  the  fugitives  across  the 
Potomac,  a  multitude  of  helpless  blacks  were  found  cowering 
upon  the  southern  bank,  who  had  been  decoyed  from  Winchester 
and  the  adjacent  country,  by  the  story  that  Jackson  was  putting 
to  death  all  the  slaves  whom  he  met,  upon  the  charge  of  frater 
nizing  with  the  Yankees.  Many  of  these  unhappy  victims  of 
fanaticism,  deserted  in  the  hour  of  alarm  by  their  seducers, 
were  cared  for,  and  brought  back  to  their  homes,  by  the 
horsemen. 

The  remainder  of  the  day  was  devoted  by  the  army  as  well 
a?  their  Commander,  to  repose.  The  tired  men,  disencumbered 
of  their  arms,  reclined  under  the  noble  groves  interspersed 
among  their  camp,  while  the  famished  horses  grazed  busily  upon 


384  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

* 

the  rich  sward.  The  thunder  of  the  battles  and  the  shouting  of 
the  captains  were  soon  followed  by  a  Sabbath  stillness,  amidst 
which  the  General  slowly  rode  back  to  the  town.  Having  pro 
cured  quarters  in  the  chief  hotel,  he  refused  all  food,  and  throw 
ing  himself  across  a  bed  upon  his  breast,  booted  and  spurred,  was 
sleeping  in  a  moment,  with  the  healthy  quietude  of  infancy. 

The  next  day  was  devoted  to  a  religious  rest,  in  order  to  pay 
that  honor  which  General  Jackson  ever  delighted  to  render  to 
Almighty  God,  and  to  repay  the  troops,  in  some  sort,  for  the 
interruptions  of  the  holy  day  by  battle.  This  purpose  was  an 
nounced  to  the  troops  in  the  following  General  order  : 

"Within  four  weeks  this  army  has  made  long  and  rapid 
marches,  fought  six  combats  and  two  battles,  signally  defeating 
the  enemy  in  each  one,  captured  several  stands  of  colors,  and 
pieces  of  artillery,  with  numerous  prisoners,  and  vast  medical, 
ordnance,  and  army  stores ;  and,  finally,  driven  the  boastful  host 
which  was  ravaging  our  beautiful  country,  into  utter  rout.  The 
General  commanding  would  warmly  express  to  the  officers  and 
men  under  his  command,  his  joy  in  their  achievements,  and  his 
thanks  for  their  brilliant  gallantry  in  action  and  their  patient 
obedience  under  the  hardships  of  forced  marches;  often  more 
painful  to  the  brave  soldier  than  the  dangers  of  battle.  The 
explanation  of  the  severe  exertions  to  which  the  Commanding 
General  called  the  army,  which  were  endured  by  them  with 
such  cheerful  confidence  in  him,  is  now  given,  in  the  victory  of 
yesterday.  He  receives  this  proof  of  their  confidence  in  the 
past  with  pride  and  gratitude,  and  asks  only  a  similar  confidence 
in  the  future. 

"  But  his  chief  duty  to-day,  and  that  of  the  army,  is,  to  recog 
nize  devoutly  the  hand  of  a  protecting  Providence  in  the  brilliant 
successes  of  the  last  three  days  (which  have  given  us  the  results 
of  a  great  victory  without  great  losses) ;  and  to  make  the  oblation 


SEIZURE  OF  SUTLERS'  STORES.  385 

of  our  thanks  to  God  for  his  mercies  to  us  and  our  country, 
in  heartfelt  acts  of  religious  worship.  For  this  purpose  the 
troops  will  remain  in  camp  to-day,  suspending  as  far  as  practi 
cable  all  military  exercises ;  and  the  Chaplains  of  regiments  will 
hold  divine  service  in  their  several  charges  at  4  o'clock,  P.  M.  " 

At  the  appointed  hour  the  General  attended  public  worship 
with  the  37th  Virginia  regiment,  and  presented  an  edifying 
example  of  devotion  to  the  men. 

Winchester  had  been  the  great  resort  of  Federal  sutlers,  who 
had  impudently  occupied  many  of  the  finest  shops  upon  its  streets, 
and  exposed  their  wares  for  sale  in  them.  The  headlong  confu 
sion  of  Banks's  retreat  left  them  neither  means  nor  time  to 
remove  their  wealth.  All  was  given  up  to  the  soldiers,  who 
speedily  emptied  their  shelves.  It  was  a  strange  sight  to  see  the 
rough  fellows,  who  the  day  before  had  lacked  the  ration  of  beef 
and  hard  bread,  regaling  themselves  with  confectionery,  sardines, 
and  tropical  fruits.  Their  spoils,  however,  were  about  to  produce 
a  serious  evil.  The  stores  of  clothing  captured  by  the  men  in 
these  shops,  and  in  the  baggage  of  the  fugitives,  were  so  enor 
mous,  that  in  a  day  the  army  seemed  to  be  almost  metamor 
phosed.  The  Confederate  grey  was  rapidly  changing  into  the 
Yankee  blue.  Had  this  license  been  permitted,  the  purposes  of 
discipline  would  have  been  disappointed,  and  the  dangers  of 
battle  multiplied.  General  Jackson  speedily  suppressed  it  by 
this  adroit  and  simple  measure.  He  issued  an  order  that  every 
person  in  Federal  uniform  should  be  arrested,  and  assumed  to 
be  a  prisoner  of  war  going  at  large  improperly,  until  he  himself 
presented  adequate  evidence  of  the  contrary.  The  men  of  the 
Provost-Marshal  had  not  acted  upon  this  order  many  hours 
before  the  army  became  grey  again  as  rapidly  as  it  had  been 
becoming  blue.  The  men  either  deposited  their  gay  spoils  in 
the  bottom  of  their  knapsacks,  or  sent  them  by  the  baggage-trains 

49 


386  LIFE   OP  LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSON. 

which  were  carrying  the  captured  stores  to  the  rear,  and  donned 
their  well-worn  uniforms  again. 

General  Jackson  was  not  the  man  to  lose  the  opportunities 
growing  out  of  such  a  victory  by  inaction.  The  use  to  be  made 
of  his  present  successes  was  dictated  by  the  authorities  at  Rich 
mond  ;  but  it  is  believed  their  designs  met  the  full  approbation 
of  his  own  judgment.  Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Winchester 
he  had  sent  a  trusty  officer  to  the  Capital  with  despatches  explain 
ing  his  views.  The  decision  of  the  government  was,  that  he  should 
press  the  enemy  at  Harper's  Ferry,  threaten  an  invasion  of 
Maryland,  and  an  assault  upon  the  Federal  capital,  and  thus 
make  the  most  energetic  diversion  possible,  to  draw  a  part  of 
the  forces  of  M'Clellan  and  McDowell  from  Richmond.  After 
allowing  his  troops  two  days  of  needed  rest,  the  army  was  moved, 
Wednesday  morning,  May  28th,  toward  Charlestown,  by  Sum 
mit  Point,  General  Winder's  brigade  again  in  advance.  Charles- 
town  is  a  handsome  village,  the  seat  of  justice  of  Jefferson 
county,  eight  miles  from  Harper's  Ferry.  When  about  five  miles 
from  the  former  place,  General  Winder  received  information 
that  the  enemy  was  in  possession  of  it  in  heavy  force.  Upon 
being  advised  of  this,  General  Jackson  ordered  General  Ewell 
with  reinforcements  to  his  support.  But  General  Winder 
resolved  not  to  await  them,  and  advanced  cautiously  toward 
Charlestown.  As  he  emerged  from  the  wood,  less  than  a  mile 
distant  from  the  town,  he  discovered  the  enemy  in  line  of  battle 
about  fifteen  hundred  strong,  and  decided  to  attack  them.  Upon 
the  appearance  of  our  troops,  the  enemy  opened  upon  them  with 
two  pieces  of  artillery.  Carpenter's  battery  was  immediately 
placed  in  position,  with  the  33rd  Virginia  regiment  as  support; 
and  was  so  admirably  served  that  in  twenty  minutes  the  enemy 
retired  in  great  disorder,  throwing  away  their  arms  and  baggage. 
The  pursuit  was  continued  rapidly  with  artillery  and  infantry  to 


RETREATS  UPOX  STRASBOURG.  387 

Hall-town,  a  hamlet  a  couple  of  miles  from  the  Potomac.  A  short 
distance  beyond  that  point,  General  Winder  observing  the  enemy 
strongly  posted  on  Bolivar  Heights,  and  in  considerable  force, 
concluded  that  prudence  required  him  to  await  his  supports; 
and  he  therefore  arrested  the  pursuit,  and  returned  to  the 
vicinity  of  Charlestown. 

On  the  following  day,  the  main  body  of  the  army  took  posi 
tion  near  Hall-town,  and  the  2nd  regiment;  Virginia  infantry,  was 
sent  to  London  heights,  with  the  hope  of  being  able  to  drive  the 
enemy  from  Harper's  Ferry,  across  the  Potomac.  But  tin's 
movement  was  no  sooner  made,  than  General  Jackson  received 
intelligence  which  imperiously  required  him  to  arrest  it,  and  pro 
vide  for  his  own  safety.  The  Federal  Government,  awakened 
by  its  disasters,  to  a  portion  of  sense  and  activity,  gave  orders 
to  General  Shields,  to  move  upon  General  Jackson's  communi 
cations  from  the  Rappahannock,  and  General  Fremont  from  the 
valley  of  the  South  Branch.  Both  these  bodies  were  now  threat 
ening  to  close  in  upon  his  rear,  with  a  speed  which  left  not  a 
moment  for  delay.  At  Front  Royal,  the  12th  Georgia  regiment, 
so  distinguished  for  its  gallantry  at  McDowell,  and  previous 
engagements,  had  been  stationed  to  watch  the  approaches  of  the 
enemy  from  the  east,  and  to  guard  the  prisoners  and  valuable 
stores  captured  there  the  previous  week.  Through  the  indiscre 
tion  of  its  commander,  it  was  driven  from  the  place,  with  the  loss 
of  all  the  prisoners,  and  a  number  of  its  own  members  captured ; 
while  the  stores  were  only  rescued  from  falling  again  into  the 
hands  of  the  Federalists,  by  the  energy  of  a  Quartermaster, 
who  fired  the  warehouses  containing  them.  Thus  a  loss  of 
three  hundred  thousand  dollars,  in  provisions  and  equipments, 
was  incurred  at  the  outset. 

In  the  afternoon  of  the  30th,  the  whole  army  was  in  motion, 
retreating  upon  Strasbourg,  the  point  at  which  it  was  expected 


LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Shields  and  Fremont  would  attempt  their  junction.  General 
Winder  was  ordered  to  recall  the  2nd  regiment  from  Loudon 
heights,  and  with  the  cavalry,  to  protect  the  rear  of  the  army. 
On  arriving  at  "Winchester,  General  Jackson  learned  that  the 
approach  of  the  enemy  to  Strasbourg  was  so  imminent,  that  it 
was  essential  his  rear  should  reach  that  place  by  mid-day 
of  the  31st,  in  order  to  avoid  separation  from  the  main  body, 
and  capture.  He,  therefore,  sent  back  orders  to  the  Stonewall 
Brigade,  not  to  pause  in  its  march  on  the  30th,  until  it  passed 
Winchester.  It  travelled,  in  fact,  from  Hall-town,  to  the  neigh 
borhood  of  Newtown,  a  distance  of  thirty-five  miles :  and  the 
2nd  Virginia  regiment,  which  had  its  steps  to  retrace  from  the 
heights  beyond  the  Shenandoah,  accomplished  a  march  of  more 
than  forty  miles,  without  rations.  This  astonishing  effort  was 
made  also  over  muddy  roads,  and  amidst  continual  showers  !  The 
next  morning  the  rear-guard  arose  from  their  wet  bivouac,  stiff 
and  sore  of  limb,  and  completed  the  march  to  Strasbourg  in  the 
forenoon.  When  they  arrived  there,  they  found  the  army  halted 
and  awaiting  them;  while  General  Ewell,  with  his  division, 
facing  toward  the  west,  was  sternly  confronting  Fremont,  and 
offering  him  gage  of  battle.  The  latter  had  arrived  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Strasbourg,  by  way  of  Wardensville,  and 
issued  from  the  gap  of  the  great  north  mountain,  as  though  to 
attack  the  retreating  army.  But  when  it  stood  thus  at  bay,  he 
prudently  withdrew,  after  a  desultory  skirmish,  into  the  gorge 
from  which  he  had  issued.  General  Jackson  now  resumed  a 
deliberate  retreat,  with  his  rear  covered  by  his  cavalry ;  seeking 
some  position  in  the  interior,  where  he  could  confront  Ms  foes 
without  danger  to  his  flanks. 

During  the  week  which  embraced  these  brilliant  events,  the 
Quartermasters'  and  Ordnance  departments  of  the  army  were 
laboriously  engaged  in  collecting  and  removing  the  captured 


THE   CAPTURED   MEDICAL   STORES.  389 

stores.  The  baggage  trains  of  the  army,  and  those  captured 
from  the  enemy  were  laden  with  the  precious  spoils,  and  sent 
toward  Staunton.  Every  carriage  which  could  be  hired  or  im 
pressed  from  the  vicinity  of  Winchester,  was  also  employed ;  and 
yet  a  vast  and  unestimated  mass  which  could  not  be  removed, 
was  consigned  to  the  flames.  Only  those  things  which  were 
brought  safely  away  will  be  enumerated.  It  has  been  related 
how  the  soldiers  themselves  were  permitted  to  dispose  of  the 
contents  of  the  sutlers'  stores.  A  large  part  of  the  army  was 
thus  equipped  with  clothing,  boots  and  shoes,  blankets,  oil  cloth 
coverings,  and  hats.  One  of  the  largest  storehouses  in  Winches 
ter  was  found  filled  with  medicines,  surgical  instruments,  and 
hospital  appliances,  of  the  choicest  description.  Of  these  a 
small  portion  were  distributed  to  the  surgeons  for  the  immediate 
wants  of  their  brave  men ;  and  all  the  remainder  were  sent  to 
Richmond,  where  they  were  found  abundant  enough  to  replenish 
the  medical  stores  of  the  great  army.  The  mercy  of  Providence 
in  this  supply,  was  as  manifest  as  His  rebuke  of  the  barbarity 
of  the  enemy.  With  an  inhumanity  unknown  in  modern  history, 
they  had  extended  the  law  of  blockade  to  all  medicines  and 
hospital  stores;  hoping  thus  not  only  to  make  the  hurts  of  every 
Bounded  adversary  mortal,  (where  brave  men  would  have  been 
eager  to  minister  to  a  helpless  foe,)  but  to  deprive  suffering  age, 
womanhood,  and  infancy  of  the  last  succors  which  the  benignity 
of  the  universal  Father  has  provided  for  their  pangs.  This  cold 
and  malignant  design  was  in  part  disappointed  by  the  victory  of 
Jackson.  The  stores  captured  at  Winchester  not  only  supplied 
the  conquering  army,  but  carried  solace  and  healing  to  the  sick 
and  wounded  throughout  the  approaching  campaign  of  Richmond. 
In  bright  contrast  with  this  barbarity  of  the  enemy,  stands  the 
magnanimity  of  Jackson.  Finding  a  large  and  well  provided 
hospital  at  Winchester,  filled  with  seven  hundred  Federal  sick 


390  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

and  woundcd;  he  ordered  that  nothing  of  their  stores  or  medi 
cines  should  bo  removed,  and  having  ministered  to  the  sufferers 
with  generous  attention  during  the  week  they  were  in  his  power, 
he  left  everything  untouched,  when  Winchester  was  again  evacu 
ated.  The  seven  hundred  enemies  were  paroled,  not  to  fight 
again  until  exchanged. 

The  31st  of  May,  the  21st  Virginia  regiment  left  Winchester, 
in  charge  of  twenty-three  hundred  prisoners  of  war.  The 
whole  number  of  the  enemy  captured  was  about  three  thousand 
and  fifty.  One  hundred  beeves,  thirty-four  thousand  pounds  of 
bacon,  and  great  masses  of  flour,  biscuit,  and  groceries,  were 
secured  by  the  Chief  Commissary,  while  the  Quartermasters 
removed  stores  in  their  department,  to  the  amount  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  dollars.  Two  hundred 
wagons  and  ambulances,  with  a  number  of  horses,  which  would 
have  been  very  great,  but  for  the  rapacity  of  the  Confederate 
cavalry,  were  also  secured.  But  the  most  precious  acquisition 
was  the  ordnance  stores,  containing,  besides  ammunition,  nine 
thousand,  three  hundred  and  fifty  small  arms,  perfectly  new, 
and  of  the  most  approved  patterns. 

These  results  of  the  week's  campaign  were  won  with  small 
expenditure  of  blood  by  the  patriot  army.  In  all  the  engage 
ments,  from  Front  Royal  to  Strasbourg,  sixty-eight  men  were 
killed,  three  hundred  and  twenty-nine  were  wounded,  and  three 
were  missing ;  making  a  total  loss  of  four  hundred  men.  The 
General  closed  his  official  narrative  with  these  words :  "  Whilst 
I  have  had  to  speak  of  some  of  our  troops  in  disparaging  terms, 
yet  it  is  my  gratifying  privilege  to  say  of  the  main  body  of  the 
army,  that  its  officers  and  men  acted  in  a  manner  worthy  of  the 
great  cause  for  which  they  were  contending,  and  to  add  that,  so 
far  as  my  knowledge  extends,  the  battle  of  Winchester  was,  on 
our  part,  a  battle  without  a  straggler." 


INHABITANTS  PLUNDERED  BY  FEDERALS.        391 

It  was  while  reposing  after  his  victory  at  Winchester,  that  lie 
wrote  thus  to  Mrs.  Jackson : 

"Winchester,  May  26th,  1862.  An  ever  kind  Providence 
blessed  us  with  success  at  Front  Royal  on  Friday,  between 
Strasbourg  and  Winchester  on  Saturday,  and  here  with  a 

successful  engagement  yesterday I  do  not  remember 

having  ever  seen  such  rejoicing  as  was  manifested  by  the  people 
of  Winchester,  as  our  army  yesterday  passed  through  the  town 
in  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  The  town  was  nearly  frantic  with  joy. 
Our  entrance  into  Winchester  was  one  of  the  most  stirring 
scenes  of  my  life.  Such  joy  as  the  inhabitants  manifested,  can 
not  easily  be  described.  The  town  is  greatly  improved  in  its 
loyalty." 

A  few  days  after,  while  threatening  Harper's  Ferry,  he  sent 
messages  to  the  Confederate  Government  by  his  zealous 
supporter  and  assistant,  the  Hon.  Mr.  Boteler  of  the  Congress, 
begging  for  an  increase  of  his  force.  He  pointed  out  again 
that  an  assault  upon  the  enemy's  territory,  indicating  danger  to 
their  capital,  was  the  most  ready  and  certain  method  to  deliver 
Richmond  from  the  approaches  of  General  M'Clellan.  "  Tell 
them,"  he  said,  "  that  I  have  now  but  fifteen  thousand  effective 
men.  If  the  present  opening  is  improved  as  it  should  be,  I 
must  have  forty  thousand."  But  the  Government  was  unable 
to  advance  these  reinforcements,  and  Divine  Providence  reserved 
to  him  the  glory  of  assisting  in  the  deliverance  of  our  capital  in 
a  more  direct  manner. 

Tlu's  chapter  will  be  closed  with  a  reference  to  a  fact  which 
assists  in  fixing  the  seal  of  infamy  upon  the  Federal  Government, 
generals,  and  armies ;  the  authorized  robberies  now  begun  in  the 
valley  of  Virginia.  Not  only  were  the  inhabitants  plundered 
by  the  Federal  soldiers  as  they  marched  through  the  peaceful 
country,  but  they  were  systematically  robbed  of  their  horses, 


392  LIFE    OF    LIEUT.-GENEKAL   JACKSON. 

and  other  live-stock  by  General  Banks,  in  his  march  to  and 
from  Harrisonburg.  This  commander  officially  boasted  to  his 
Government;  that  the  results  of  his  conquest  had  supplied  his 
artillery  and  trains  with  enough  of  excellent  horses,  besides 
many  other  valuable  resources.  Now  none  of  these  were  prize 
of  war ;  for  so  accomplished  a  leader  was  Jackson,  in  retreat  as 
well  as  in  triumph,  that  nothing  belonging  to  his  army  fell  into 
his  enemy's  hands.  These  horses,  and  other  animals,  were 
simply  stolen  from  the  rich  and  peaceful  farmers  of  Rockingham 
and  Shenandoah.  Here  was  the  beginning  of  a  system  of 
wholesale  robbery,  since  extended  to  every  part  of  the  Confed 
erate  States  which  the  enemy  has  reached !  But  if  the  reader 
assigned  to  General  Banks  any  pre-eminence  of  crime  or  infamy, 
above  his  nation,  he  would  do  him  injustice.  The  Federal 
Congress  and  Executive  had  already,  by  formal  and  unblushing 
legislation,  ordained  that  the  war  should  be  a  huge  piracy,  as 
monstrous  as  the  rapacity  of  any  of  their  lieutenants  could 
make  it.  Under  pretexts  which  could  be  used  by  any  other 
nation,  in  any  other  war,  with  equal  plausibility,  to  steal  any 
species  of  private  property  whatever,  laws  had  been  passed, 
declaring  all  tobacco,  cotton,  and  labor  of  slaves,  in  the 
Confederate  States,  or  coming  thence,  to  be  "contraband  of 
war,"  and  liable  to  confiscation.  The  true  intent  of  this  law 
was  to  subject  these  three  kinds  of  property,  the  most  important 
in  our  country,  to  systematic  theft,  and  this  purpose  has  since 
been  most  diligently  and  consistently  carried  out. 


PORT  REPUBLIC.  303 


CHAPTER     XIII. 

PORT  REPUBLIC. 

IT  has  been  related  how  General  Jackson  assembled  his 
army  at  Strasbourg  before  the  occupation  of  that  place  by 
Fremont,  and  thus  eluded  the  combination  designed  by  him  and 
Shields,  in  his  rear.  On  the  evening  of  June  1st,  he  resumed 
his  retreat  up  the  Valley.  The  object  immediately  demanding 
his  attention  was  the  rescue  of  his  army  from  its  perilous  situa 
tion.  The  indirect  purpose  of  the  campaign  was  already 
accomplished;  his  rapid  movements  and  stunning  blows  had 
neutralized  the  efforts  of  General  McDowell  against  Richmond 
—  Banks  was  driven  from  Winchester  the  25th  of  May,  and  the 
Federal  authorities  were  panic-struck  by  the  thought  of  a  victo 
rious  Confederate  army,  of  unknown  numbers,  breaking  into 
Maryland  by  Harper's  Ferry,  and  seizing  Washington  City. 
Just  at  this  juncture,  M'Clellan  had  pushed  his  right  wing  to  a 
point  north  of  Richmond,  at  Hanover  Court  House,  and  within 
a  single  march  of  McDowell's  advanced  posts.  On  the  27th 
of  May,  the  Confederate  General  Branch  was  defeated  at  that 
place  with  loss,  and  the  fruit  of  this  success  was  the  occupation 
of  all  the  roads,  and  of  the  bridges  across  the  waters  of  the 
Pamunkey,  connecting  Richmond  with  Fredericksburg  and  Gor- 
donsville,  by  the  Federalists.  Had  the  advice  of  M'Clellan 
been  now  followed,  the  result  must  have  been  disastrous  to 
General  Lee,  and  might  well  have  been  ruinous.  The  Federal 

50 


394  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXEEAL   JACKSOX. 

commander  urged  his  Government  to  send  General  M-Dowell. 
with  all  the  forces  near  Manassa's,  under  Sigel  and  Augur,  by 
the  route  thus  opened  to  them,  to  effect  an  immediate  junction 
with  his  right  wing,  to  hold  permanently  these  lines  of  communi 
cation  between  Lee  and  Jackson,  and  to  complete  the  investment 
of  Richmond.  These  operations,  which  the  Confederates  had  no 
means  to  resist,  with  the  addition  of  the  forty  thousand  troops 
which  they  would  have  brought  to  M'Clellan's  army,  already  so 
superior  in  numbers,  would  have  greatly  endangered  Richmond 
and  its  army.  But  the  terror  inspired  by  Jackson  caused  the 
President  to  refuse  his  consent ;  he  was  unwilling  to  expose  his 
Capital  to  a  sudden  blow  from  this  ubiquitous  leader ;  and  instead 
of  sending  General  M-Dowell  forward,  he  commanded  him  to 
retire  nearer  to  Washington.  General  M'Clellan  was  further 
ordered  by  telegraph,  to  burn  the  bridges  across  the  south  Pam- 
unkey,  won  by  his  recent  victory,  and  by  which  his  reinforcements 
should  have  joined  him,  lest  the  Confederates  should  move  by 
them  against  Washington !  Thus  Providence  employed  the 
movements  of  General  Jackson's  little  army  to  paralyze  the  for 
ces  of  Fremont,  Banks  and  M'Dowell,  amounting  to  eighty 
thousand  men,  during  the  critical  period  of  the  campaign.  It 
is  therefore  with  justice,  that  his  successes  in  the  Yalley  are 
said  to  have  saved  Richmond  and  Virginia.  When  the  small 
means,  the  trivial  losses,  and  the  short  time,  with  which  this 
great  result  was  wrought,  are  considered,  it  will  be  admitted 
that  military  genius  has  never,  in  any  age,  accomplished  a  more 
splendid  achievement.  It  was  indeed  so  brilliant,  that  the  doubt 
has  been  suggested,  whether  the  mind  of  Jackson  or  of  any 
other  strategist,  was  prophetic  enough  to  forecast  and  provide 
for  so  grand  a  conclusion,  or  whether  it  was  the  fortunate  and 
unforeseen  dispensation  of  chance,  or  of  Providence.  To  the 
latter  he  delighted  to  attribute  all  his  success;  and  he  would 


RETEATS   UP   THE   VALLEY   TURNPIKE.  o'JO 

have  been  tlie  first  to  concur  in  the  estimate,  which  made  him 
only  an  humble  instrument  in  the  hand  of  an  omniscient  Guide, 
who  superintended  his  fallible  judgment,  overruled  the  efforts 
of  his  enemies,  and,  among  the  TOxiety  of  possible  effects,  con 
nected  his  measures  with  those  consequences  which  were  most 
beneficial  to  his  country.  But  while  this  Christian  solution  is 
fully  admitted,  the  honor  of  General  Jackson,  as  an  instrument, 
is  vindicated  by  these  facts,  that,  from  the  first,  he  strongly  urged 
the  movements  which  were  at  length  made,  as  the  surest  means 
for  these  ends,  and  that  he  continued  steadfastly  of  the  same 
mind  amidst  all  the  mutations  in  others,  produced  by  the  fluctu 
ating  appearances  of  the  campaign.  The  wisdom  of  his  plan 
was  seconded  by  a  devotion  and  energy  in  action,  which  gave  it 
such  success  as  no  other  could  have  commanded. 

A  more  glorious  sequel  yet  remains  to  be  narrated,  in  which 
General  Jackson  extricated  himself  from  his  baffled  enemies,  and 
assisted  in  crushing  the  remainder  of  the  Federal  forces  near 
Richmond.  The  former  of  these  results  was  effected  at  Port 
Republic;  and  to  this  spot  the  narrative  now  leads.  When 
General  Jackson,  on  the  evening  of  June  1st,  resumed  his  retreat 
from  Strasbourg,  he  was  aware  that  Shields  had  been  for  nearly 
two  days  at  Front  Royal.  The  fact  that  he  had  not  attempted 
an  immediate  junction  with  Fremont  suggested  the  suspicion  that 
he  was  moving  for  a  point  farther  upon  the  rear  of  the  Confed 
erates,  by  way  of  Luray  and  New  Market  Gap.  To  frustrate 
this  design,  General  Jackson  now  sent  a  detachment  of  cavalry  to 
burn  the  White  House  bridge  across  the  South  Shenandoah,  by 
which  the  Luray  turnpike  passed  the  stream,  and  also  the 
Columbia  bridge,  a  few  miles  above  it.  He  knew  that  Shields 
had  no  pontoon  train,  for  Banks  had  been  compelled  to  sacrifice 
it  at  Newtown ;  and  the  rivers  were  still  too  much  swollen  to  be 
forded.  Having  taken  this  precaution,  he  retreated  up  the 


396  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

Valley  turnpike  in  his  usual  stubborn  and  deliberate  fashion, 
with  his  cavalry  and  Chew's  light  battery  in  the  rear.  It  was 
the  saying  of  his  soldiers,  that  his  marches  were  always  easy 
when  in  retreat,  but  hard  wken  pursuing.  This  calmness  of 
movement  not  only  promoted  order,  and  gave  time  to  bring  off 
his  supplies,  but  wrought  an  invaluable  effect  upon  the  spirits 
of  the  troops.  A  hurried  march  in  retiring  from  the  enemy 
suggests  insecurity,  and  ministers  a  constant  excitement  to  the 
minds  of  the  men  akin  to  panic,  and  easily  converted  into  it. 
General  Jackson's  deliberation  reassured  his  army;  and  they 
never  lost  confidence  or  spirit  because  they  were  compelled  to 
retire  for  a  time.  It  was  by  this  means  that  he  was  enabled 
to  preserve  the  order  of  his  troops  equally  in  retreat  and  in 
advance. 

General  Fremont,  having  ascertained  that  the  Confederates 
were  withdrawing,  pursued  with  spirit;  and,  after  nightfall,  a 
portion  of  his  horse  came  so  near  the  rear-guard  that  they  were 
challenged  by  them.  They  replied,  "  Ashby's  cavalry  " ;  and,  hav 
ing  thus  deceived  our  forces,  availed  themselves  of  the  advantage 
to  charge  the  6th  regiment  of  cavalry,  which  was  next  the  rear. 
These  were  thrown  into  disorder;  and  a  few  of  them  were 
ridden  down,  and  wounded,  or  captured.  Confusion  was  also 
communicated,  to  some  degree,  to  the  2nd  regiment  next  it ;  but 
the  commander,  Colonel  Munford,  soon  reformed  it,  gallantly 
charged  the  enemy,  repulsed  them,  and  captured  some  prisoners. 
On  the  2nd  of  June,  the  enemy  succeeded  in  taking  position  where 
their. artillery  was  able  to  cannonade  the  Confederate  rear.  The 
cavalry  was  thrown  into  disorder  by  the  shells,  and  fled,  carrying 
a  part  of  its  supporting  battery  with  them.  The  Federal  cavalry 
now  pushed  forward  to  reap  the  fruits  of  this  success,  when 
Ashby  displayed  that  prompt  resource  and  personal  daring  which 
illustrated  his  character.  Dismounting  from  his  horse,  he 


A  DRY   REMARK.  397 

collected  a  small  body  of  riflemen  who  were  lagging,  foot-sore 
and  weary,  behind  their  commands,  and  posted  them  in  a  wood 
near  the  road-side.  Awaiting  the  near  approach  of  the  enemy, 
he  poured  into  their  ranks  so  effective  a  fire  that  a  number  of 
saddles  were  emptied,  and  a  part  of  the  survivors  retired  in 
confusion.  The  remainder  were  carried  past  by  their  momentum 
and  even  broke  through  the  ranks  of  the  rear  regiment  in  a 
brigade  of  infantry,  —  that  of  Colonel  Campbell,  —  commanded 
since  his  wounding  at  Winchester  by  Colonel  J.  M.  Patton.  But 
that  officer,  filing  his  next  regiment  from  the  road  in  good  order, 
made  way  for  the  onset  of  the  enemy,  and;  as  they  passed,  gave 
them  a  volley  which  terminated  their  audacity.  Only  one  of  the 
party  returned  alive  to  his  comrades,  the  remainder  being  all 
killed  or  captured.  Colonel  Patton,  while  reporting  the  events 
of  the  day  to  the  General,  at  nightfall,  remarked  that  he  saw  this 
party  of  foes  shot  down  with  regret.  He  seemed  to  make  no 
note  of  these  words  at  the  time,  but  pursued  his  minute  inquiries 
into  all  the  particulars  of  the  skirmish.  After  the  official  conver 
sation  was  ended,  he  asked :  "  Colonel,  why  do  }rou  say  that  you 
saw  those  Federal  soldiers  fall  with  regret  ?  "  It  was  replied, 
that  they  exhibited  more  vigor  and  courage  than  anything  which 
had  been  attempted  by  any  part  of  the  Federal  army;  andUhat 
a  natural  sympathy  with  brave  men  led  to  the  wish  that,  in  the 
fortunes  of  the  fight,  their  lives  might  have  been  saved.  The 
General  drily  remarked :  "  No ;  shoot  them  all :  I  do  not  wish 
them  to  be  brave."  It  was  thus  that  he  was  accustomed  to  indi 
cate,  by  a  single  brief  sentence,  the  cardinal  thought  of  a  whole 
chapter  of  discussion.  He  meant  to  suggest  reasonings  which 
show  that  such  sentiments  of  chivalrous  forbearance,  though 
amiable,  are  erroneous.  Courage  in  the  prosecution  of  a  wicked 
attempt  does  not  relieve,  but  only  aggravates,  the  danger  to  the 
innocent  party  assailed,  and  the  guilt  of  the  assailants.  There 


398  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

is,  then,  a  sense  in  which  the  most  vigorous  are  the  most  worthy 
of  death ;  and  the  interests  of  those  who  wage  a  just  defence 
prompt  them  to  visit  retribution,  first,  upon  those  who  are  most 
dangerous. 

The  2nd  and  6th  regiments  of  cavalry  were  now  transferred 
from  the  command  of  General  Stewart,  to  that  of  Ashby.  When 
the  latter  returned  to  Winchester  the  week  before,  from  the  pur 
suit  of  Banks,  he  was  met  by  his  commission  of  Brigadier- Gen 
eral  of  cavalry;  an  lionor  well  earned  by  his  arduous  and 
important  services.  lie  was  now  raised  to  that  position  best 
adapted  to  his  powers.  While  unsuited  for  the  drudgery  of  the 
drill  and  the  military  police,  General  Ashby  had  every  quality  of 
a  brilliant  commander  in  the  field.  Seconded  by  diligent  and 
able  Colonels  in  his  regiments,  he  would  have  led  his  brigade  to 
a  career  of  glory  surpassing  all  his  previous  successes.  But 
such  a  destiny  was  not  in  store  for  him ;  and  his  sun  was  now 
about  to  set  in  its  splendid  morning. 

On  the  3rd  of  June,  the  Confederate  army  placed  the  north 
fork  of  the  Shenandoah  behind  it;  and  General  Ashby  was 
entrusted  with  the  duty  of  burning  the  bridge  by  which  it 
passed  over.  Before  this  task  was  completed,  the  Federalists 
appeared  on  the  opposite  bank,  and  a  skirmish  ensued,  in  which 
his  horse  was  struck  dead,  and  he  himself  very  narrowly 
escaped.  The  necessity  of  replacing  this  bridge,  arrested  Fre 
mont  for  a  da}^,  and  gave  the  tired  Confederates  a  respite,  which 
they  employed  in  retiring  slowly  and  unmolested,  to  Harrison- 
burg.  A  mile  south  of  that  village,  General  Jackson  left  the 
valley  road,  and  turned  eastward,  towards  Port  Republic;  a 
smaller  place  upon  the  south  fork  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  near 
the  western  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  It  was  not  until  the  even 
ing  of  June  6th,  that  the  Federal  advance  overtook  his  rear 
guard,  which  was  still  within  two  miles  of  Harrisonburg, 


FALL   OF   ASHBY. 

posted  at  the  crest  of  a  wooded  ridge,  commanding  the  neigh 
boring  fields.  General  Ashby,  as  usual,  held  the  rear ;  and  the 
division  of  General  Ewell  was  next.  In  part  of  the  Federal 
army  was  a  New  Jersey  regiment  of  cavalry,  commanded  by 
one  of  those  military  adventurers,  whose  appetite  for  blood  pre 
sents  so  monstrous  and  loathsome  a  parody  upon  the  virtues  of 
the  true  soldier.  A  subject  of  the  British  crown,  and  boasting 
of  his  relationship  to  some  noble  English  house,  this  person  had 
offered  his  services  to  the  Federal  Government,  siding  with  the 
criminal  and  powerful  aggressors,  against  the  heroic  and  right 
eous  patriots,  without  one  of  those  pleas  of  native  soil  and  senti 
ments,  which  might  rescue  his  acts  from  the  criminality  of  naked 
murder.  It  had  been  his  blustering  boast,  that  at  the  first 
opportunity,  he  would  deal  with  the  terrible  Colonel  Ashby ; 
and  for  this  he  sought  service  in  this  part  of  the  Federal  armies. 
His  opportunity  was  now  come ;  he  advanced  his  regiment  to 
the  attack,  when  General  Ashby,  taking  a  few  companies  of  his 
command,  met  them  in  the  open  field,  and  at  the  first  charge, 
routed  them,  and  captured  their  Colonel  with  sixty-three  of  his 
men.  The  remainder  fled  into  Harrisonburg  in  headlong  panic ; 
and  the  braggart  mercenary  found  his  fitting  recompense  in  a 
long  captivity. 

The  sound  of  the  firing  now  brought  General  Ewell  to  the 
rear ;  and  General  Ashby  assuring  him  that  the  Federal  attack 
would  be  speedily  renewed  in  force,  asked  for  a  small  body  of 
infantry,  and  proposed  a  plan,  most  brilliantly  conceived,  for 
turning  their  onset  into  a  defeat.  General  Ewell  entrusted  to 
him  the  1st  Maryland  regiment,  of  Colonel  Bradley  Johnston, 
and  the  58th  Virginia,  under  Colonel  Letcher.  Ashby  disposed 
the  Marylanders  in  the  woods,  so  as  to  take  the  Federal  advance 
in  flank,  while  he  met  them  in  front  at  the  head  of  the  58th. 
Indicating  to  General  Ewell  the  dispositions  of  the  enemy,  which 


400  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

he  had  exactly  anticipated,  and  his  own  arrangements  to  meet 
them,  he  seemed  to  the  spectators,  to  be  instinct  with  unwonted 
animation  and  genius.  At  this  moment,  the  enemy's  infantry 
advanced;  and  a  fierce  combat  began.  They,  approaching 
through  the  open  fields,  had  reached  a  heavy  fence  of  timber ; 
whence,  under  the  partial  cover,  they  poured  destructive  volleys 
into  the  ranks  of  the  58th  regiment.  Ashby  seeing  at  a  glance 
their  disadvantage,  galloped  to  the  front,  and  ordered  them  to 
charge,  and  drive  the  Federals  from  their  vantage,  ground.  At 
this  moment  his  horse  fell;  but  extricating  himself  from  the 
dying  animal,  and  leaping  to  his  feet,  he  saw  his  men  wavering, 
He  shouted,  "  Charge  men ;  for  God's  sake,  charge  !"  and  waved 
his  sword ;  when  a  bullet  pierced  him  full  in  the  breast,  and  he 
fell  dead.  The  regiment  took  up  the  command  of  their  dying 
General,  and  rushed  upon  the  enemy,  while  the  Maryland  ers 
dashed  upon  their  flank.  Thus  pressed,  the  Federals  gave  way, 
the  Confederates  occupied  the  fence,  and  poured  successive  vol 
leys  into  the  fleeing  mass,  who  were  fully  exposed  to  them  until 
they  passed  out  of  musket  range.  If  blood,  by  comparison  so 
vile,  could  have  paid  for  that  of  the  generous  Ashby,  he  would 
have  been  fully  avenged.  The  Lieutenant  Colonel  commanding 
the  foremost  Federal  regiment,  remained  a  prisoner  in  the  hands 
of  the  Confederates,  and  the  field  was  sprinkled  over  with  killed 
and  wounded. 

With  this  repulse,  the  combat  ceased :  resulting  in  a  loss  to 
the  confederates  of  seventeen  killed,  and  fifty  wounded,  which  fell 
chiefly  on  the  58th  Virginia.  The  place  where  it  occurred  was 
not  the  one  selected  by  General  Jackson  to  stand  the  brunt  of  a 
general  action,  and  it  was  therefore  necessary  to  remove  the 
wounded  and  the  dead  at  once.  The  oversight  of  this  humane 
task  he  entrusted  to  General  Ewell.  All  the  wounded  who 
could  bear  a  hasty  removal  were  set  on  horses,  and  carried  to  a 


CHARACTER   OF   ASHBY.  401 

place  of  safety.  A  few  remained  whose  hurts  were  too  painful  to 
endure  the  motion ;  and  of  these  General  Ewell  was  seen  taking 
a  tender  leave,  replenishing  their  purses  from  his  own,  that  they 
might  be  able  to  purchase  things  needful  for  their  comfort  in 
their  captivity,  and  encouraging  them  with  words  of  good  cheer. 
The  glorious  remains  of  Ashby  were  carried  to  Port  Republic, 
and  prepared  for  the  grave.  After  all  the  sad  rites  were  com 
pleted,  General  Jackson  came  to  the  room  where  he  lay,  and 
demanded  to  see  him.  They  admitted  him  alone ;  he  remained 
for  a  time  in  silent  communion  with  the  dead,  and  then  left  him, 
with  a  solemn  and  elevated  countenance.  It  requires  little  use 
of  the  imagination  to  suppose  that  his  thoughts  were,  in  part, 
prophetic  of  a  similar  scene,  wiiere  his  corpse  was  to  receive  the 
homage  of  all  the  good  and  brave.  But  the  duties  of  the  hour 
were  too  stern  to  give  a  longer  time  to  grief.  At  a  subsequent 
day,  his  official  report  paid  this  brief  but  emphatic  tribute  to 
his  companion  in  arms. 

"  In  this  affair,  General  Turner  Ashby  was  killed.  An  official 
report  is  not  an  appropriate  place  for  more  than  a  passing 
notice  of  the  distinguished  dead;  but  the  close  relation  which 
General  Ashby  bore  to  my  command,  for  most  of  the  previous 
twelve  months,  will  justify  me  in  saying  that,  as  a  partisan  officer, 
I  never  knew  his  superior.  His  daring  was  proverbial,  his  pow 
ers  of  endurance  almost  incredible,  his  tone  of  character  heroic, 
and  his  sagacity  almost  intuitive  in  divining  the  purposes  and 
movements  of  the  enemy." 

General  Ashby  was  of  a  spare  and  graceful  figure,  irregular 
features,  and  swarthy  complexion.  His  hair  and  beard  were 
profuse,  and  of  jetty  black,  while  his  eye  was  a  clear,  piercing 
gray.  Accomplished  from  his  youth  in  all  the  feats  of  horse 
manship  and  wood-craft,  he  was  already  trained  for  irregular 
warfare,  before  he  girded  on  his  sword.  His  private  life  had 

51 


402  LIFE  OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

been  marked  by  purity,  generosity,  and  a  chivalrous  spirit ;  and 
the  modest  dignity  and  cultivation  of  his  manners  showed  him 
the  true  gentleman.  These  qualities  remained  untarnished,  and 
shone  only  the  more,  when  he  became  a  military  commander. 
No  coarse  excess  soiled  for  a  moment  the  maidenly  delicacy  of 
his  morals ;  no  plunder  ever  stained  his  hands,  nor  did  woman, 
nor  disarmed  enemy,  ever  meet  anything  but  magnanimous  kind 
ness  from  them.  He  was  necessarily  entrusted,  as  commander 
of  outposts  and  patrols,  in  a  district  subject  to  martial  law. 
with  a  large  discretion  in  dealing  with  private  rights ;  but  his 
measures  were  always  directed  with  such  wisdom  and  equity, 
as  to  command  the  approval  of  friends  and  foes.  His  was  an 
understanding  formed  by  nature  for  war.  As  a  citizen,  he 
would  have  passed  through  life  unmarked,  save  for  his  virtues, 
modesty,  and  high  breeding.  But  when  his  native  State  called 
her  sons  to  the  field,  he  found  his  proper  element.  Excitement 
roused  his  powers,  danger  only  invigorated  and  steadied  them ; 
and  his  comrades  instinctively  recognized  in  his  decision,  un 
erring  judgment,  magnanimity,  and  resource,  one  born  to  com 
mand.  When  he  fell,  the  presence  of  the  enemy  in  his  native 
county  forbade  his  burial  among  his  kindred  j  so  that  although 
his  venerable  mother,  who  had  now  given  to  her  country  her 
last  son,  with  the  devotion  of  a  Roman  matron,  anxiously 
awaited  his  remains  there,  it  was  necessary  to  seek  for  them 
another  resting  place.  His  friends  selected  the  grave-yard  of 
the  State  University :  thither  they  were  conveyed  with  martial 
pomp,  and  buried  while  the  thunders  of  the  distant  battle  at 
Port  Republic  tolled  a  fitting  knell  for  the  great  soldier.  There, 
the  tomb  of  Ashby  should  remain,  a  memorial  to  the  generous 
youth  of  Virginia-  to  suggest  to  them  in  all  future  times,  the 
virtues  and  patriotism  which  he  illustrated  by  his  life  and  death. 


TOPOGRAPHY  OF  POET  REPUBLIC.          403 

In  all  the  qualities  of  tho  citizen,  the  young  man  could  find  no 
nobler  or  purer  exemplar. 

On  the  7th  of  June,  tho  main  body  of  the  army  was  assembled 
in  tho  neighborhood  of  Port  Republic.  General  Jackson  was 
now  repeating  with  Fremont  the  manoeuvre  by  which  he  had 
confounded  Banks,  by  turning  aside  toward  tho  base  of  the 
Blue  Ridge.  But 'his  ready  skill  dictated  some  important  dif 
ferences  in  his  strategy,  to  meet  the  different  conditions  of  the 
case  with  which  he  now  had  to  deal.  The  mountain  was,  to  the 
Confederates,  not  only  a  fastness,  but  a  base  of  operations ;  for 
the  regions  of  Eastern  Virginia  beyond  it  offered  them,  by  the 
various  roads  crossing  it,  both  supplies,  and  a  safe  place  of 
retreat.  The  line  of  operations  of  tho  Federalists  was  along 
the  great  Valley  Turnpike ;  and  this  was  parallel  to  the  moun 
tain.  Hence,  when  Jackson  took  a  position  at  the  western  foot 
of  the  Blue  Ridge,  he  gained  the  advantage  of  a  military  base 
parallel  to  his  enemy's  line  of  operations,  which  enabled  him  to 
strike  it  at  right  angles,  if  it  were  prolonged  by  further  advance 
Into  the  country.  Twice  he  resorted  to  this  strategy,  and  eacli 
time  it  arrested  the  career  of  the  superior  army.  His  march 
from  Swift  Run  Gap  in  May  had  taught  him  another  advantage, 
belonging  to  the  point  which  he  now  selected.  A  good  road  led 
from  Port  Republic  across  the  mountain  into  Albemarle  by 
Brown's  Gap,  offering  him  a  safe  outlet  in  case  of  disaster,  and 
a  means  for  drawing  supplies  from  that  fertile  country.  Before 
this  road  crowns  the  summit  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  it  passes  through 
a  valley,  which  constitutes  the  most  complete  natural  fortress  in 
all  these  mountains.  Two  arms  of  the  mountain,  lofty  and 
ragged  as  the  mother  ridge,  project  from  it  on  the  right  and 
left  hand,  embracing  a  deep  vale  of  many  miles'  circuit,  watered 
by  a  copious  mountain  stream ;  and  while  the  mighty  rim  of 
this  cup  is  everywhere  impracticable  for  artillery  and  cavalry, 


404  LIFE    OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

the  narrow  gorge  through  which  the  road  enters  it  from  the 
west,  affords  scarcely  room  to  set  a  regiment  in  battle  array, 
between  the  two  promontories  of  the  mountains.  Here  was 
obviously  the  place  for  a  small  army  to  stand  at  bay  against 
superior  numbers. 

But  General  Jackson  did  not  purpose  to  withdraw  into  this 
fortress,  save  in  the  last  resort ;  for  to  do  this,  he  must  sacrifice 
the  advantage  which  the  unscientific  strategy  of  his  adversaries 
gave  him,  by  keeping  their  two  armies  apart,  and  attempting  to 
approach  him  upon  convenient  lines,  while  his  army  was  already 
concentrated.  Befooled  with  the  old  fallacy  of  crushing  an  in 
ferior  force  by  surrounding  it  from  different  directions,  Fremont 
and  Shields  were  pursuing  this  method,  instead  of  uniting  their 
troops  before  the  collision ;  and  they  were  destined  to  illustrate 
again,  by  their  disasters,  the  correctness  of  the  maxim,  that  the  in 
ferior  force  possessing  the  interior  position  between  its  enemies, 
must  have  the  advantage,  if  it  strikes  them  in  detail  while 
separated.  The  two  Federal  Commanders  had  neglected  a  junc 
tion  below  Strasbourg.  By  burning  the  Columbia  and  White 
House  Bridges,  General  Jackson  had  prevented  their  union  at 
New  Market ;  and  he  was  now  prompt  to  make  them  continue 
their  error.  Shields  was  still  east  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  there 
remained  but  two  bridges,  above  or  below,  by  which  he  could 
cross  to  the  west  side,  to  reach  Fremont.  One  of  these  was  at 
Port  Republic,  and  was  in  Jackson's  possession ;  the  other  was 
at  the  mouth  of  Elk  Run  valley,  fifteen  miles  below.  This 
General  Jackson  now  sent  a  detachment  of  cavalry  to  burn ; 
when  there  occurred  one  of  those  manifest  interpositions  of 
Providence,  which  from  time  to  time  shewed  the  answer  to  his 
prayers  for  the  divine  blessing.  A  quarter  of  an  hour  before  the 
Confederate  troopers  reached  the  bridge,  the  advanced  guard  of 
General  Shields  arrived  there,  sent  by  him  to  ascertain  whether 


BATTLE    OF    PORT   REPUBLIC. 


405 


BATTLE    OF    PORT    REPUBLIC. 


406  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

the  structure  was  still  standing;  for  lie  had  now  awakened  to 
some  conception  of  its  importance  to  him.  They  found  it  safe ; 
but  hearing  that  there  was  a  corporal's  guard  of  Confederate 
soldiers  a  few  miles  above,  watching  a  parcel  of  stores,  they 
dashed  off  to  capture  them,  instead  of  remaining  to  guard  the 
bridge,  or  else  returning  to  report  its  condition  to  their  com 
mander.  The  stores  were  captured,  and  the  guard  escaped; 
but  when  the  head  of  Shields's  main  column  reached  the  bridge, 
the  Confederates  had  arrived,  and  the  work  was  hopelessly  in 
volved  in  flames.  The  -Shenandoah,  still  swollen  by  the  rains 
of  a  late  and  ungenial  spring,  was  nowhere  fordable,  and  the 
construction  of  a  bridge  in  the  presence  of  such  a  foe  as  Jack 
son  was  not  an  inviting  enterprise.  He  was  now  master  of  the 
situation :  he  had  comprehended  all  the  conditions  of  the  critical 
problem  upon  which  he  staked  the  very  existence  of  his  army; 
and  while  all  others  were  full  of  anxious  forebodings,  he  awaited 
the  issue  with  calm  determination. 

The  part  which  remained  to  him  in  the  coming  tragedy  was 
to  hold  fast  his  command  of  the  brigade  at  Port  Republic,  and 
to  seize  his  opportunity  to  crush  the  one  of  his  assailants,  now 
approaching  from  opposite  directions,  whom  he  judged  it  most 
judicious  to  attack.  But  the  nearness  of  both  of  them,  (within 
less  than  a  day's  march,)  left  little  room  for  seeking  the  ad 
vantage  which  he  knew  so  well  how  to  use,  by  rapid  movements, 
and  successive  blows.  To  any  inferior  leader,  the  danger  would 
have  been  imminent  of  a  simultaneous  attack  in  front  and  rear ; 
for  if  the  converging  detachments  of  enemies  are  allowed  time 
to  make  such  attacks,  then  indeed,  all  the  success  expected  from 
the  bungling  plan  of  thus  surrounding  an  army,  may  be  realized. 
To  understand  the  consummate  union.of  skill  and  audacity  with 
which  Jackson  obviated  this  danger,  and  still  compelled  his 
enemies  to  fight  him  in  detail,  although  within  sight  of  the  smoke 


SHIELDS 'S  ADVANCE  AT   LEWISTON.  4:07 

of  each  others'  guns ;  a  more  particular  description  of  the  ground 
is  necessary.  Between  Harrisonburg  and  Port  Republic  the 
country  is  occupied  by  the  wooded  ridges  characteristic  of  a 
limestone  region,  elevated  but  rounded,  and  practicable  for 
the  movements  even  of  artillery;  and  these  are  interspersed 
with  farms  and  fields  which  fill  the  vales.  These  bold  hills 
extend  to  the  river's  brink  on  that  side;  while  between  the 
waters  and  the  mountain,  where  Shields  was  approaching,  the 
country  stretches  out  in  low  and  smooth  meadows,  everywhere 
commanded  from  the  heights  across  the  stream.  Between  these 
level  fields  and  the  mountain  itself,  is  interposed  a  zone  of 
forest,  of  three  miles'  width,  broken  into  insignificant  hillocks, 
and  interposed  with  tangled  brush-wood,  which  stretches  parallel 
with  the  river  and  the  Blue  Ridge,  for  a  day's  march  above  and 
below.  The  little  village  is  seated  on  the  southeastern  side  of 
the  Shenandoah,  in  the  level  meadows,  and  just  within  the  angle 
between  the  main  stream  and  a  tributary  called  South  River. 
The  only  road  to  Brown's  Gap,  descending  from  the  bold  high 
lands  of  the  northwest  bank,  over  the  long  wooden  bridge, 
passes  through  the  hamlet,  crosses  the  South  River  by  a  ford, 
and  speedily  hides  itself,  upon  its  way  to  the  mountain-base,  in 
the  impenetrable  coppices  of  the  wood. 

General  Shields,  disappointed  in  the  hope  of  joining  Fremont 
by  the  bridge  at  Elk  Run  valley,  continued  his  march  up  the 
southeastern  bank  of  the  river,  by  the  same  difficult  road  which 
the  Confederates  had  followed  in  their  march  from  Swift  Run  in 
April.  On  the  evening  of  Saturday,  the  -7th  of  June,  his  ad 
vance  appeared  at  Lewiston,  the  country-seat  of  General  Lewis, 
three  miles  below  the  village.  The  main  object  dictated  by 
General  Jackson's  situation  now  was,  to  keep  his  enemies  apart, 
separated  as  they  were  by  the  swollen  stream,  and  to  fight  first 
the  one  or  the  other  of  them,  as  his  interest  might  advise  him. 


408  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

The  defeat  of  one  would  obviously  procure  the  retreat  of  both  ; 
for  their  cautious  and  timid  strategy  required  the  concert  of  the 
two  armies  to  embolden  them  for  coping  with  their  dreaded 
adversary.  It  was  manifest  that  good  generalship  should  select 
Shields  as  the  victim  of  the  first  blow.  His  force  was  smaller 
than  that  of  Fremont,  and  so  it  was  reasonable  to  expect  an 
easier  victory  over  it.  If  he  were  beaten,  his  retreat  would  be 
hemmed  in  between  the  river  and  the  mountain,  to  a  single 
scarcely  practicable  road ;  whereas  General  Fremont  would  be 
able,  if  overthrown,  to  withdraw  by  a  number  of  easy  highways. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  attack  of  the  Confederates  upon 
Shields  were  unsuccessful,  they  would  be  able  to  retire  into  their 
own  country,  and  nearer  their  supplies ;  while  if  they  were 
defeated  in  an  assault  on  Fremont  upon  the  other  side  of  the 
river,  they  would  have  that  barrier  to  a  retreat  in  their  rear, 
with  Shields's  army  unbroken,  threatening  them  with  destruction. 
It  might  appear,  at  first  thought,  that  the  obvious  way  to  carry 
out  the  purpose  of  attacking  Shields  and  defeating  him  sepa 
rately,  was  to  withdraw  the  whole  Confederate  army  at  once  to 
the  same  side  of  the  river  with  him,  burn  the  bridge,  thus 
leaving  Fremont  alone  and  useless  upon  the  other  bank,  and 
then  fall  with  full  force  upon  the  former.  This,  any  other  good 
soldier  than  Jackson  would  probably  have  done ;  but  his  designs 
were  more  audacious  and  profound  still.  With  whatever 
promptitude  he  might  attack  Shields,  he  saw  that  the  battle-field 
must  be  upon  the  southeastern  margin  of  the  Shenandoah,  and 
under  the  heights  of  the  opposite  bank;  which,  if  he  yielded 
all  the  country  on  that  side  to  Fremont,  would  of  course  be 
crowned  by  his  artillery.  And  then,  the  struggle  would  have 
been  virtually  against  both  his  foes  combined;  although  the 
waters  still  flowed  between  their  troops.  In  addition,  his 
powerful  artillery,  the  right  arm  of  his  strength,  would  then 


CONFEDERATE    POSITION   AT    CROSS-KEYS. 


409 


CONFEDERATE    POSITION    AT    CROSS-KEYS. 

52 


410  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

have  been  paralyzed  by  the  inferiority  of  its  positions  as  com 
pared  with  those  ceded  to  Fremont  upon  the  northwe'stern 
bank.  Further,  General  Jackson  v/as  not  willing  to  deprive 
himself  of  the  power  to  take  the  aggressive  against  Fremont, 
after  disposing  of  Shields,  should  his  success  in  assailing  the 
latter  prove  sufficiently  crushing  to  encourage  him  to  a  second 
battle. 

For  these  reasons,  General  Jackson  neither  ceded  the  north 
western  bank  to  Fremont,  nor  burned  the  bridge.  Where  an 
inferior  genius  would  have  purchased  the  full  union  of  his  forces 
at  the  expense  of  allowing  to  his  two  enemies  a  virtual  concert 
as  injurious  as  an  actual  junction ;  he  accepted  a  nominal  sepa 
ration  of  his  own  troops,  perceiving  that  he  would  thus  have  the 
most  effective  co-operation.  He  purposed  thus  to  hold  both 
his  adversaries  at  bay,  until  the  propitious  moment  arrived  to 
strike  one  of  them  a  deadly  blow.  For  this  end,  he  selected  for 
General  Ewell  an  excellent  position  upon  the  road  leading  to 
Harrisonburg,  five  miles  from  the  bridge,  while  he  posted  the 
other  division  of  his  army,  with  several  batteries  of  artillery, 
upon  the  heights  next  the  river,  but  still  upon  the  northwest 
side.  Thence  his  guns  could  overlook  and  defend  the  bridge, 
the  village,  the  narrow  champaign  extending  towards  Brown's 
Gap,  and  all  the  approaches  on  the  side  of  Shields.  In  Port 
Republic  itself  he  stationed  no  troops  save  a  detachment  of 
horse,  which  guarded  the  roads  towards  Lewiston,  and  protected 
his  own  quarters  in  the  village.  His  dispositions  were  com 
pleted  by  bringing  all  his  trains  across  the  bridge  and  placing 
them  near  by,  where  they  might  be  withdrawn  either  to  the 
mountain  or  to  Staunton.  Two  companies  of  cavalry  were 
detached  to  watch  the  approach  of  General  Shields,  of  which 
one  was  sent  to  reconnoitre,  and  the  other  was  stationed  as  a 
picket  guard  upon  the  road  to  Lewiston. 


ESCAPE    OF   THE    ORDNANCE   TRAIN.  411 

The  morning  of  June  8th,  which  was  the  Sabbath  day,  dawned 
with  all  the  peaceful  brightness  appropriate  to  the  Christian's 
sacred  rest;  and  General  Jackson,  who  never  infringed  its 
sanctity  by  his  owi?  choice,  was  preparing  himself  and  his 
wearied  men  to  spend  it  in  devotion.  But  soon  after  the  sun 
surmounted  the  eastern  mountain,  the  pickets  next  the  army 
of  Shields  came  rushing  to  the  head-quarters  in  the  village,  in 
confusion,  with  the  Federal  cavalry  and  a  section  of  artillery 
close  upon  their  heels.  So  feeble  was  the  resistance  which  they 
offered,  the  advance  of  the  enemy  dashed  across  the  ford  of  the 
South  River  almost  as  soon  as  they,  and  occupied  the  streets. 
The  General  had  barely  time  to  mount  and  gallop  towards  the 
bridge,  with  a  part  of  his  staff,  when  the  way  was  closed;  two 
others  of  his  suite,  attempting  to  follow  him  a  few  moments 
after,  were  captured  in  the  street;  and  one  or  two,  perceiving 
the  hopelessness  of  the  attempt,  remained  with  the  handful  of 
troops  thus  cut  off.  But  out  of  this  accident,  to  them  so  invol 
untary,  Providence  ordained  that  a  result  should  proceed  essen 
tial  to  the  safety  of  the  army.  As  the  captured  Confederate 
officers  stood  beside  the  commander  of  the  Federal  advance, 
some  of  his  troopers  returned  to  him,  and  pointed  out  the  long 
train  of  wagons  hurrying  away,  apparently  without  armed  escort, 
just  beyond  the  outskirts  of  the  village.  He  immediately 
ordered  a  strong  body  of  cavalry  in  pursuit;  and  the  hearts 
of  the  Confederates  sank  within  them ;  for  they  knew  that  this 
was  Jackson's  ordnance  train,  containing  the  reserve  ammunition 
of  the  whole  army ;  and  that  all  its  other  baggage  was  equally 
at  the  mercy  of  the  enemy.  But  as  the  eager  Federals  reached 
the  head  of  the  village,  they  were  met  by  a  volley  of  musketry, 
which  sent  them  scampering  back ;  and  when  they  returned  to 
the  charge,  two  pieces  of  artillery  opened  upon  them,  to  the 
equal  surprise  and  delight  of  their  anxious  captives,  and  speedily 


412  LIFE   OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 

cleared  the  streets  with  showers  of  canister.  The  explanation 
was,  that  one  of  the  officers  separated  from  the  General's  suite, 
seeing  the  impossibility  of  joining  him,  had  addressed  himself  to 
rallying  a  handful  of  the  fugitive  picket  guards,  and  with  these, 
and  a  section  of  raw  artillerists  from  the  reserves,  had  boldly 
attacked  the  enemy.  Thus  the  trains  were  saved,  and  a  diversion 
was  made,  until  the  General  could  bring  forward  more  sub 
stantial  succors. 

IsTor  was  it  long  before  these  were  at  hand.  Galloping  across 
the  bridge,  and  up  the  heights,  to  the  camp  o'f  the  3rd  and  1st 
brigades  of  his  own  division,  he  ordered  the  long  roll  to  be 
instantly  beaten,  and  the  artillery  to  be  harnessed.  The  horses 
were  still  grazing  in  the  luxuriant  clover-fields,  and  the  men  were 
scattered  under  the  shade  of  the  groves ;  but  in  a  few  moments 
the  guns  were  ready  for  action,  and  two  or  three  regiments  were 
in  line.  Jackson  ordered  the  batteries  of  Poague,  Wooding, 
and  Carpenter  to  crown  the  heights  overlooking  the  river,  and 
placing  himself  at  the  head  of  the  leading  regiment  of  the  3rd 
brigade,  —  the  37th  Virginia  of  Colonel  Fulkerson,  —  rushed  at 
a  double-quick  toward  the  all-important  bridge,  now  in  the  ene 
my's  possession.  When  he  approached  it,  he  saw  the  village 
beyond  crowded  with  Federal  cavalry,  but  now  checked  in  their 
pursuit  of  his  trains;  while  one  of  their  two  field-pieces  was 
replying  to  the  Confederate  artillery,  and  the  other  was  placed 
at  the  mouth  of  the  bridge,  prepared  to  sweep  it  with  murderous 
discharges  of  grape.  One  lightning  glance  was  enough  to  decide 
him.  Ordering  Captain  Poague  to  engage  with  one  of  his  pieces 
the  gun  at  the  southern  end  of  the  bridge,  he  led  the  37th  regi 
ment  aside  from  the  high  road,  so  that  they  descended  the  decliv 
ity  obliquely  against  the  upper  side  of  that  structure,  marching 
by  the  flank.  Without  pausing  to  wheel  them  into  line,  as  they 
came  within  effective  distance,  he  commanded  them,  with  a  tone 


RETREAT   OF   SHIELDS'S   TROOPS.  413 

and  niicn  of  inexpressible  authority,  to  deliver  one  round  upon 
the  enemy's  artillerists,  and  then  rush  through  the  bridge  upon 
them  with  the  bayonet.  They  fired  one  stinging  volley,  which 
swept  every  cannoneer  from  the  threatening  gun,  and  then  dashed 
with  a  yell  through  the  narrow  avenue.  As  soon  as  Jackson 
uttered  his  command  he  drew  up  his  horse,  and,  dropping  the 
reins  upon  his  neck,  raised  both  his  hands  toward  the  heavens 
while  the  fire  of  battle  in  his  face  changed  into  a  look  of  revefen- 
tial  awe.  Even  while  he  prayed,  the  God  of  battles  heard ;  or 
ever  he  had  withdrawn  his  uplifted  hands  the  bridge  was  gained, 
and  the  enemy's  gun  was  captured.  Thus,  in  an  instant,  was  a 
passage  won,  with  the  loss  of  two  men  wounded,  which  might 
have  become  a  second  bridge  of  Lodi,  costing  the  blood  of  hun 
dreds  of  brave  soldiers.  So  rapid  and  skilful  was  the  attack, 
the  enemy  were  able  to  make  but  one  hurried  discharge,  before 
their  position  and  their  artillery  were  wrested  from  them.  To 
clear  the  village  of  their  advance  was  now  the  work  of  a  moment, 
for  the  batteries  frowning  upon  the  opposite  bank  rendered  it 
untenable  to  them;  and  the  Confederate  troopers  next  the 
baggage  trains,  plucking  up  heart,  scoured  the  streets  of  every 
foe.  Their  retreat  was  so  precipitate  that  they  left  their  other 
piece  of  artillery  behind  them  also,  and  dashed  across  the  fords 
of  South  River  by  the  way  they  came. 

As  they  retired  toward  Lewiston,  they  met  the  infantry  of 
Shiclds's  army  advancing  to  their  support.  But  it  was  too  late  : 
the  batteries  were  now  all  in  position,  and  greeted  their  approach 
with  a  storm  of  projectiles  from  the  farther  side  of  the  river, 
before  which  they  were  compelled  to  recoil  with  loss.  The 
novel  sight  was  now  presented,  of  a  retreating  army  pursued 
by  two  or  three  batteries  of  field  guns,  and  retiring  before  them 
in  helpless  confusion.  For  as  the  Federal  troops  withdrew 
along  the  south  side  of  the  stream,  the  Confederates  limbered 


414  •      LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

their  guns  and  galloped  over  the  swelling  fields  upon  the  north 
side,  to  other  lofty  positions,  whence  they  still  commanded  the 
ground  occupied  by  the  retreating  foe,  until  he  concealed  him 
self  behind  the  forest  near  Lewiston.  He  thus  verified  the  judg 
ment  of  General  Jackson,  by  finding  himself  as  effectually 
debarred,  by  these  masterly  dispositions,  from  co-operating  in 
the  contemplated  attack  of  Fremont,  as  though  he  had  been 
separated  from  him  by  many  days'  marches.  And  although  the 
most  urgent  motives  prompted  Shields  to  renew  his  attack  in 
concert  with  his  associate  on  the  other  side,  so  manifest  was  the 
triumph  of  Jackson's  generalship,  he  did  not  again  venture 
the  hopeless  attempt ;  but  sat  all  day  idle,  within  sound  of  the 
cannonade,  which  told  him  that  Fremont  was  compelled  to  risk 
and  lose  the  field,  without  hi?  aid.  One  clement  of  General 
Jackson's  greatness  and  success  was  the  decision  and  confidence 
with  which  he  held  the  conclusions  of  his  own  judgment  after 
he  had  once  matured  them.  His  reflection  was  careful,  his 
caution  in  weighing  all  competing  considerations  great;  but 
when  his  mind  once  adopted  its  verdict,  it  held  to  it  with  unwav 
ering  and  giant  grasp.  This  characteristic  was  strongly  illus 
trated  in  these  events.  As  the  reader  viewed  the  considerations 
detailed  above,  by  which  the  plan  of  action  was  dictated  at  Port 
Republic,  sonic  of  them  have  probably  appeared  to  him  so  nice 
and  delicate,  that  he  was  inclined  to  deem  it  rashness,  to  stake 
the  existence  of  an  army  upon  deductions  drawn  from  them. 
But  when  General  Jackson  had  weighed  them  all,  his  decision 
was  made  with  an  absolute  confidence,  and  he  was  calmly  pre 
pared  to  risk  everything  upon  it.  When  it  was  argued  with 
him  that,  surely,  General  Shields  would  not  suffer  the  critical 
hour  to  pass,  without  attempting  again  to  co-operate  with  Fre 
mont  by  a  more  serious  and  persistent  attack,  his  only  answer 
was,  to  wave  his  hand  towards  the  commanding  positions  of  his 


ATTACKED   BY  FREMONT.  415 

artillery,  and  say;  "No  sir!    No!     Ho  cannot  do  it;  I  should 
tear  Mm  to  pieces."     And  he  did  not  do  it !     During  all  the 
remainder  of  the  day's  struggle,  he  remained  passive ;  visited, 
doubtless,  by   misgivings  not  very  comfortable,  as  to  his    own 
coming  share  in  the  attentions  of  the  Confederate  General.     The 
latter  now  placed  the  third  brigade,  under  Brigadier-General 
Taliaferro,  in  the  village,  to  watch  the  fords  of  South  River  and 
the  roads  toward  Lewiston,  on  the  one  hand,  while  on  the  other, 
he  guarded  the  course  of  the  Shenandoah  above  the  village  and 
opposite  to  General  Swell's  left,  by  a  few  pickets.      The  first 
brigade  of  General  Winder  was  sent  down  the  river  with  a  por 
tion  of  the  artillery,  and  posted  upon  the  north  side,  to  observe 
the  discomfited  enemy  about  Lewiston.      The  remainder  of  his 
division  was  disposed  so  as  to  be  ready  for  the  support  of  Ewell. 
These  dispositions  had  not  been  completed,  when  the  firing  to 
the  north  told  that  he  was  seriously  engaged  with  Fremont. 
This  General  had  moved  out  to  the  attack  from  Harrisonburg, 
(doubtless  expecting  the  assistance  of  Shields  upon  the  other 
side,)  with  the  divisions  of  Blenker,  Milroy  and  Schenck,  making 
seven  brigades  of  infantry,  a  brigade  of  cavalry,  and  a  power 
ful  train  of  artillery.     This  army  was  correctly  estimated  by 
General  Ewcll,  at  eighteen  thousand  men.     Plis  own  division 
had  now  been  recruited,  by  the  addition  of  the  six  regiments  of 
General  Edward  Johnson,  known  as  the  army  of  the  northwest. 
Of  these,  the  12th  Georgia,  and  the  25th  and  31st  Virginia,  had 
been  attached  to  the  Brigade  of  Elzey;  and  the  52nd,  58th  and 
44th   Virginia,  lately  under  Colonel  Scott,  had  been  given  to 
General  George  Stewart,  and  associated  with  the  Maryland  line. 
The  position   chosen   for   meeting  Fremont  was  a  continuous 
ridge,  a  little  south  of  the  point  where  the  Keczletown  road 
crosses  that  from  Harrisonburg  to  Port  Republic.     This  range 
of  hills  crosses  the  latter  highway  obliquely,  in  such  manner  that 


416  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

General  Swell's  left,  occupying  it,  was  much  advanced  beyond  his 
right,  and  rested,  at  its  extremity,  very  near  the  prolongation  of 
the  Keezletown  road,  toward  the  west.  The  hills  are  elevated, 
but  occupied  by  arable  fields.  In  front  runs  an  insignificant 
rivulet,  while  the  rear  and  flanks  of  the  position  arc  covered  by 
woods  of  noble  oaks,  penetrable  even  by  a  column  of  artillery, 
in  many  places,  but  yet  affording  excellent  cover  for  sharpshoot 
ers.  On  this  ridge,  then,  General  Ewell  deliberately  posted  his 
troops  to  receive  the  shock,  while  Colonel  Canty,  with  the  5th 
Alabama  infantry,  stubbornly  contested  the  advance  of  the 
enemy  along  the  road  from  Harrisonburg.  In  the  centre,  upon 
the  best  positions,  he  placed  four  picked  batteries,  those  of 
Courtney,  Lusk,  Brockenborough,  and  Rains,  with  General 
Elzey's  brigade  in  their  rear,  as  a  reserve  force.  On  his  right 
was  the  brigade  of  General  Trimble,  in  advance  of  the  centre, 
and  on  his  left,  that  of  General  Stewart.  The  guns  were  placed 
on  the  reverse  of  the  hills,  a  little  behind  the  crest,  where  the 
cannoneers  were  protected  from  all  missiles  which  came  hori 
zontally;  and  the  lines  of  infantry  lay  in  the  valleys  behind 
them,  almost  secure  from  danger. 

About  ten  o'clock  A.  M.,  the  Federal  artillery  was  posted 
opposite  to  this  position,  and  a  spirited  cannonade  began,  which 
continued  for  several  hours.  Indeed,  the  battle  was  chiefly  one 
of  artillery ;  for  this  arm  was  the  only  one  which  the  Federalists 
employed  with  any  perseverance  or  courage.  After  feeling  the 
Confederate  lines  for  a  time  with  this  fire  of  cannon,  Fremont 
advanced  a  part  of  Blenker's  German  division,  upon  his  left. 
Finding  no  enemies  near  the  front  of  his  left,  save  a  few  videttes, 
who  were  easily  repulsed,  he  sent  back  glowing  accounts  of  his 
success,  in  driving  in  the  Confederate  right  wing.  When  he 
had  thus  swung  around  for  nearly  a  mile,  he  was  rudely  unde 
ceived.  The  veteran  General  Trimble,  held  his  excellent 


417 


brigade  well  in  hand,  behind  the  crest  of  a  forest  ridge,  which, 
in  front  descended  by  a  gentle  declivity,  to  the  margin  of  a  wide 
meadow,  and  was  there  bounded  by  heavy  fence  of  timber.  He 
commanded  the  troops  to  reserve  their  fire  until  the  enemy 
appeared  above  the  hill,  within  point-blank  range,  when  he 
poured  a  deadly  discharge  into  their  ranks.  The  Germans 
recoiled  in  disorder,  and  Trimble,  seizing  the  moment,  charged 
them  with  the  bayonet,  and  drove  them  down  the  slope  and 
across  the  meadow.  It  was  then,  especially  that  the  foe  paid 
the  penalty  of  his  assault.  The  Confederates  pausing  at  the 
fence,  and  firing  from  it  in  security,  and  with  deliberate  aim, 
continued  their  murderous  discharges,  until  the  enemy  had 
crossed  the  open  ground,  and  taken  refuge  in  the  opposite  wood. 
The  green  vale  was  strewn  with  hundreds  of  the  dead  and 
wounded ;  and  the  remainder  left  the  field,  to  be  rallied  no  more 
that  day.  The  Federals  now  attempted  to  arrest  Trimble's 
career,  by  posting  a  battery  a  half  mile  in  front  of  his  extreme 
right.  But  having  received  the  25th  and  13th  Virginia  regi 
ments,  of  Elzey's  brigade,  as  reinforcements,  he  at  once  ad 
vanced  with  the  purpose  of  capturing  it.  After  several  spirited 
skirmishes  with  its  infantry  supports,  he  forced  his  way  to  the 
ground,  and  found  it  deserted.  General  Trimble  had  now  ad 
vanced  more  than  a  mile  from  his  original  position,  while  the 
Federal  advance  had  fallen  back  to  the  ground  occupied  by 
them  before  the  beginning  of  the  action. 

Tho  enemy  then  developed  a  strong  movement  toward 
General  Swell's  left,  for  which  the  Keezletown  road,  proceeding 
westward  from  Cross  Keys,  provided  such  facilities.  This 
advantage,  with  the  superior  numbers  of  the  opposing  army, 
manifestly  suggested  the  fear  of  such  a  movement,  and  nothing 
but  the  most  impotent  generalship  on  their  part,  could  account 
for  the  fact  that  they  allowed  the  day  to  close,  disastrously  for 

53 


418  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

them,  without  making  it.  General  Ewell's  left  being  neces 
sarily  thrown  strongly  forward,  would  have  been  enfiladed  by 
troops  advancing  from  that  quarter.  Hence,  he  wisely  guarded 
that  wing,  and  employed  the  most  of  his  reinforcements  to 
strengthen  it.  A  little  after  mid-day,  when  the  battle  was  at  its 
height,  General  Jackson  rode  to  the  field,  from  his  post  near 
Port  Republic,  and  calmly  examined  the  progress  of  the  struggle. 
Returning,  he  sent  back  to  Ewell  the  Louisiana  brigade  of 
Taylor,  which  had  been  moved  to  his  support  during  the  alarm 
at  the  bridge,  and  also  detached  the  second  brigade  of  his 
division,  under  Colonel  Patton.  The  remainder  of  General 
Elzcy's  brigade  was  then  moved  to  the  left,  leaving  their  post  in 
the  rear  of  the  centre  to  these  troops.  Thus  prepared,  General 
Ewell  awaited  for  a  long  time  the  expected  onset  upon  his 
flank.  It  resulted  in  nothing  more  than  a  feeble  demonstration, 
which  was  easily  repulsed  by  two  or  three  regiments  of  Elzey. 
Seeing  this,  Ewell  advanced  his  own  line  just  before  night-fall, 
drove  in  the  enemy's  skirmishers,  and  assumed  a  new  position 
on  ground  which  they  had  held  during  the  battle.  Thus  the 
day  closed,  and  his  troops  lay  upon  their  arms,  upon  the 
vantage-ground  they  had  won,  ready  to  resume  the  strife,  and 
hoping  to  rout  Fremont  at  dawn  on  the  morrow. 

In  this  combat  of  Cross  Keys,  Ewell  had  about  six  thousand 
men  in  his  line  of  battle,  and  only  three  thousand  five  hundred 
actually  engaged.  Yet  Fremont  reported  to  his  government 
that  he  was  compelled  to  yield  to  superior  force,  and  found 
himself  outnumbered  at  every  point  where  he  attempted  a 
movement.  The  veteran  Ewell  remarked,  that  he  felt  all  day 
as  though  he  were  again  fighting  the  feeble,  semi-civilized  armies 
of  Mexico.  The  loss  with  which  the  Confederates  achieved  this 
success,  was  surprisingly  small,  being  only  forty-two  (42)  killed, 
and  two  hundred  and  thirty-one  wounded,  The  chief  loss  of 


BRIDGE   ACROSS   SOUTH  RIVER.  419 

the  enemy  was  probably  in  front  of  Trimble,  where  it  amounted 
to  many  hundreds. 

General  Jackson,  regarding  Fremont  as  only  repulsed,  and  not 
routed,  still  adhered  to  his  purpose  to  risk  his  first  decisive  blow 
against  Shields,  for  the  reasons  which  have  been  explained ;  and 
he  deemed  the  present  the  proper  hour  to  strike  it,  while  the 
former  was  reeling  and  confused  from  his  rude  rebuff,  and  the 
latter  was  standing  irresolute  in  an  exposed  attitude.  He  there 
fore  summoned  General  Ewell,  after  he  had  completed  his  dispo 
sitions  for  the  night,  to  his  quarters  j  and  instructed  him  to  send 
the  trains  over  to  the  troops,  for  the  purpose  of  issuing  food  to 
them;  to  have  them  again  withdrawn  to  the  south  side  of  the 
Shenandoah,  and  at  break  of  day  to  march  to  Port  Republic, 
leaving  a  strong  rear-guard  to  amuse  and  retard  the  enemy. 
Then,  awaiting  the  rising  of  the  moon,  which  occurred  about 
midnight,  he  collected  his  pioneers ;  and  caused  them,  under  his 
own  eye,  to  construct  a  foot-bridge  across  the  fords  of  the  South 
River,  by  which  he  designed  to  pass  his  infantry  down  toward 
Lewiston.  This  structure  was  hastily  made  by  placing  wagons, 
without  their  bodies,  longitudinally  across  the  stream.  The 
axles  formed  the  cross-beams  for  the  support  of  the  floor  j  and 
the  latter  was  composed  of  long  boards,  borrowed  from  a  neigh 
boring  saw-mill,  laid  loosely  from  one  to  another.  This  bridge, 
on  the  morrow,  furnished  an.  instance  of  the  truth,  that  very  great 
events  may  be  determined  by  very  trivial  ones.  It  was  intended 
that  the  flooring  should  occupy  the  whole  breadth  between  the 
wheels  of  the  wagons,  giving  passage  to  several  men  abreast. 
But  by  an  oversight,  just  at  the  deepest  and  angriest  part  of  the 
stream,  the  hinder  axle  of  a  large  wagon  was  placed  next  the 
foremost  axle  of  the  next.  The  inequality  in  the  height,  with  the 
increasing  depth  of  the  current,  made  a  space  of  nearly  two  feet, 
which,  when  the  flooring  was  placed  in  order,  presented  a  step, 


420  LIFE  OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

or  sudden  descent,  of  that  amount;  and  all  the  boards  of  tie 
higher  stage  proved  to  be  unsupported  at  their  ends,  and  elastic, 
but  one.  As  the  men  began  to  pass  over  in  column,  several  were 
thrown  into  the  water  by  this  treacherous  and  yielding  platform, 
until,  at  length,  growing  skittish  of  it,  they  refused  to  trust  them 
selves  to  any  except  the  one  solid  plank  j  and  thus  the  column 
was  converted,  at  this  point,  into  a  single  file. 

The  actual  achievements  of  General  Jackson  at  Port  Republic 
were  as  brilliant  as  anything  in  the  history  of  war.  But  his 
secret  design  embraced  still  more.  It  has  already  been  explained 
that  he  did  not  arrest  the  pursuit  of  Fremont  by  at  once  burning 
the  bridge  across  the  Shenandoah,  because  he  was  unwilling  to 
deprive  himself  of  the  ability  to  take  the  aggressive  against  that 
General.  He  now  formed  the  bold  purpose  to  concentrate  his 
army,  and  fight  both  Shields  and  him,  successively,  the  same  day. 
Hence  his  eagerness  to  begin  the  attack  on  the  former  at  an 
early  hour.  Stronger  evidence  of  this  startling  design  will  be 
given.  During  the  night  he  held  an  interview  with  Colonel 
Patton,  commanding  the  2nd  brigade,  which  he  then  proposed  to 
employ  as  a  rear-guard  to  cover  the  withdrawal  of  General 
Ewell's  forces  from  the  front  of  Fremont.  This  officer  found 
him,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  9th,  actively  engaged 
rn  making  his  dispositions  for  battle.  He  immediately  proceeded 
to  give  him  particular  instructions  as  to  the  management  of  his 
meh  in  covering  the  rear,  saying :  "  I  wish  you  to  throw  out  all 
your  men,  if  necessary,  as  skirmishers,  and  to  make  a  great  show, 
so  as  to  cause  the  enemy  to  think  the  whole  army  are  behind 
you.  Hold  your  position  as  well  as  you  can;  then  fall  back, 
when  obliged ;  take  a  new  position ;  hold  it  in  the  same  way ; 
and  I  will  be  bacJc  to  join  you  in  the  morning."  Colonel  Patton 
reminded  him  that  his  brigade  was  small,  and  that  the  country 
between  Cross  Keys  and  the  Shenandoah  offered  few  advantages 


DEFECT  IX  THE   BRIDGE.  421 

for  protracting  such  manoeuvres.  He  therefore  desired  to  know 
for  how  long  a  time  he  would  be  expected  to  hold  the  army  of 
Fremont  in  check.  He  replied :  "  By  the  blessing  of  Providence, 
I  hope  to  be  back  by  ten  o'clock." 

Here  then,  we  have  revealed  his  whole  purpose :  He  allotted 
five  hours  to  crushing  the  army  of  Shields,  and  expected  the 
same  day  to  recross  the  Shenandoah  and  assail  Fremont,  or 
at  least  re-occupy  his  strong  position  upon  the  north  bank,  and 
again  defy  his  attack.  The  Stonewall  Brigade  was  accordingly 
ordered  to  begin  the  movement  at  the  dawn  of  day ;  and  by  five 
o'clock  it  had  crossed  the  South  Eiver,  and  was  ready  to  ad 
vance  against  Shields.  The  Louisiana  brigade  of  General  Tay 
lor  came  next,  and  as  soon  as  they  had  passed  the  foot-bridge, 
the  General  eagerly  moved  with  them  to  the  attack,  directing 
the  trains  to  be  passed  toward  Brown's  Gap  in  the  mountain, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  troops  to  be  hurried  across  as  rapidly 
as  they  arrived,  and  sent  to  his  support.  But  now  the  defect 
which  has  been  described  in  the  footway  disclosed  itself;  pro 
posals  to  arrest  the  passage  of  the  troops  long  enough  to  remedy 
it  effectually,  or  else  to  disuse  the  bridge,  and  force  the  men 
through  the  water,  were  all  neglected  by  the  commanders  of 
brigades;  and  while  six  or  eight  thousand  men  were  passed 
over  in  single  file,  ten  o'clock  arrived  and  passed  by.  The  con 
sequence  was,  that  the  first  attack  made  upon  the  Federalists, 
being  met  with  a  stubborn  resistance,  and  unsustained  by  ade 
quate  numbers,  was  repulsed  with  loss,  and  the  battle  was  pro 
tracted  far  beyond  the  hour  which  permitted  a  second  engage 
ment  that  day  on  different  ground.  Thus  three  ill-adjusted 
boards  cost  the  Confederates  a  hard-fought  and  bloody  battle, 
and  delivered  Fremont  from  a  second  defeat  far  more  disastrous 
than  that  of  the  previous  day. 

When   General  Jackson  led  the  brigades  of  Winder  and 


422  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Taylor  against  the  Federalists,  he  found  their  main  army  posted 
advantageously  at  Lewiston.  The  level  tract  which  intervenes 
between  the  Shenandoah  and  the  forest-zone  which  girdles  the 
mountain's  base,  has  been  described.  The  whole  space  was  here 
occupied  with  smooth  fields  of  waving  clover  and  wheat,  divided 
by  the  zigzag  wooden  fences  of  the  country.  Near  the  edge  of 
the  forest  stood  the  ample  villa  of  General  Lewis,  surrounded 
by  substantial  barns  and  stables,  and  orchards ;  while  a  lane, 
enclosed  by  a  double  fence,  led  thence  direct  to  a  mill  and 
dwelling  upon  the  margin  of  the  stream.  This  lane  marked 
the  basis  of  the  enemy's  line  of  defence.  His  right  was  sup 
ported  upon  the  river,  and  his  left  upon  the  impenetrable  wood, 
while  his  centre  was  defended  by  the  extensive  enclosures  and 
buildings  of  Lewiston.  Upon  a  hillock  just  at  the  edge  of  the 
thickets  were  planted  six  field -pieces,  which  commanded  the 
road  from  Port  Republic,  and  all  the  fields  adjacent  to  it. 

General  Jackson's  plan  of  battle  was  now  promptly  formed. 
He  placed  the  Stonewall  Brigade,  commanded  by  Brigadier- 
General  Winder,  in  front,  supported  on  its  right  by  one  of  the 
regiments  of  Brigadier-General  Taylor,  and  on  its  left  by 
the  52nd  and  31st  Virginia  regiments.  The  battery  of  Poague 
was  posted  in  its  front,  while  that  of  Carpenter  was  ordered  to 
make  its  way  through  the  tangled  forest  upon  the  right  and  find 
some  commanding  position,  whence  they  could  silence  the  ene 
my's  guns  above  Lewiston.  The  brigade  of  General  Taylor 
was  also  sent  to  the  right,  by  a  detour  through  the  woods,  to  • 
capture  those  guns,  and  then  to  turn  the  position  of  the  Fed 
eralists.  But  the  almost  impenetrable  thickets  rendered  their 
progress  slow,  and  by  a  slight  mistake  of  their  direction  in  these 
pathless  coverts,  they  approached  the  left  front,  rather  than  the 
flank  of  the  dangerous  battery.  Meantime  the  Stonewall  Bri 
gade,  with  its  supports,  had  advanced  across  the  level  fields, 


PROGRESS  OF  THE  CONTEST.  423 

without  any  shelter  from  the  animated  fire  of  artillery  and  rifles, 
from  the  orchards  and  fences  about  Lewiston,  and  after  a 
stubborn  contest  with  overpowering  numbers,  was  compelled  to 
retire,  leaving  one  six-pounder  in  the  enemy's  possession.  As 
the  Louisiana  troops  emerged  from  the  woods  on  the  hill-sides 
above,  they  saw  with  admiration  the  Virginians  sustaining  the 
unequal  combat  with  heroic  courage,  until  they  were  at  length 
forced  back,  their  ammunition  exhausted,  by  sheer  weight  of 
numbers.  The  Federalists  now  advanced  from  their  cover,  with 
loud  and  taunting  cheers,  pierced  the  centre  of  Jackson's  feeble 
line,  and  threatened  to  throw  back  the  fugitives  against  the  river 
which  was  upon  their  left,  and  thus  to  cut  them  off  from  retreat. 
But  the  regiments  of  Taylor,  nothing  daunted,  charged  the 
Federal  battery,  and  driving  the  supports  away,  seized  the  six 
guns,  which  they  held  for  a  short  time.  General  Ewell,  who 
had  now  passed  the  whole  of  his  division  across  the  South 
River,  was  also  hurrying  to  the  front.  He  had  just  placed  the 
44th  and  58th  Virginia  regiments,  as  a  reserve,  on  the  right 
of  the  road-way,  and  fronting  towards  it,  under  cover  of  the 
wood.  Seeing  Winder  forced  back,  and  two  brigades  of  the 
enemy  impetuously  advancing  through  the  Confederate  centre, 
he  now  most  opportunely  launched  the  two  regiments  against 
their  flank,  and  poured  in  a  galling  fire.  The  Federalists 
wheeled  and  confronted  them,  and,  after  a  furious  conflict,  forced 
them  back  also  with  heavy  loss.  But  a  saving  diversion  had 
been  made.  The  attack  of  Taylor  upon  their  left  had  silenced 
their  artillery  for  the  time,  and  placed  him  far  in  rear  of  their 
advancing  lines.  The  indefatigable  Winder  rallied  his  scat 
tered  infantry,  and  sought  new  positions  for  the*  remaining  guns 
of  Poague,  and  for  the  battery  of  Carpenter,  who  had  now 
returned  from  his  ineffectual  struggle  with  the  thickets;  and 
the  batteries  of  Chew,  Brockenborough,  Courtenay  and  Rains 


424  LIFE   OP  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 

contributed,  to  reinstate  his  battle,  with  such  pieces  as  had  not 
been  crippled  in  the  contest  of  the  previous  day.  Thus  the  inso 
lent  foe  was  steadily  borne  back  toward  his  original  position  at 
Lewiston,  and  the  buildings,  orchards  and  fences,  which  he  occu 
pied  there,  were  scourged  by  a  pitiless  storm  of  cannon-shot. 

But  it  is  time  to  return  to  General  Taylor,  who  was  left  in  pos 
session  of  the  Federal  battery  of  six  guns,  upon  the  right.  He 
was  now,  in  turn,  driven  from  them,  by  a  brigade  which  made 
a  detour  through  the  thicket,  and  fell  upon  his  right  flank.  At 
this  critical  juncture,  General  Ewell  brought  up  the  44th  and 
58th  Virginia  regiments  to  his  support,  which  had  been  rallied 
after  their  bloody  contest  on  the  centre,  and  advanced  under 
Colonel  Scott,  with  a  steadiness  unexampled  in  volunteer  troops, 
after  losses  so  severe  as  theirs.  By  their  assistance,  and  that  of 
the  2nd  Virginia  regiment  from  the  Stonewall  Brigade,  Taylor's 
attack  was  renewed.  Twice  more  was  the  contested  battery 
lost  and  won.  The  Confederates,  driven  off  for  a  time  by  the 
enfilading  fire  of  the  enemy  in  the  woods  above  them,  and  the 
murderous  volleys  of  canister  in  front,  rushed  again  and  again 
to  the  charge ;  and  after  the  third  capture,  the  prize  remained 
in  their  possession,  while  the  Federalists  sullenly  retired.  The 
dead  of  both  armies  were  intermingled  around  the  guns,  while 
nearly  all  the  horses  belonging  to  them,  lay  slaughtered  behind 
them. 

Meantime,  General  Jackson  perceived  that  the  struggle  had 
become  too  protracted  and  serious  to  permit  another  collision 
with  Fremont  that  day.  The  brigade  of  General  Trimble,  with 
two  regiments  from  that  of  Colonel  Patton,  were  slowly  retiring 
before  him  from  Cross  Keys  toward  the  river.  At  10  o'clock 
A.  M.,  a  messenger  was  despatched  to  them  by  the  General,  with 
orders  to  hasten  their  march  to  his  assistance,  and  to  burn  the 
bridge  behind  them.  The  brigade  of  General  Taliaferro,  which 


FEDERAL  INHUMANITY.  425 

had  been  left  to  occupy  the  village,  was  also  hurried  to  the  front, 
and  arriving  with  great  celerity,  gave  the  parting  volley  to  the 
retreating  foe.  The  cavalry  of  Ashby  was  now  launched  after 
them,  and  their  flight  became  a  rout.  Nearly  half  of  an  Ohio 
regiment  were  separated  from  their  comrades  by  General 
Taliaferro,  and  surrendered  in  a  body ;  and  the  pursuit  was 
continued  eight  miles  farther  by  the  cavalry,  who  gathered,  as 
spoils  of  war,  small  arms  and  vehicles,  with  many  prisoners. 

In  the  battle  of  Port  Republic,  the  Federalists  had  eight 
thousand  men  engaged,  and  the  Confederates  three  small  bri 
gades  of  infantry,  with  three  regiments  of  cavalry,  and  a  superior 
artillery.  The  enemy  fought  with  a  steadiness  and  courage 
unwonted,  and  inflicted  upon  the  troops  of  General  Jackson,  a 
serious  loss  of  ninety-one  officers  and  men  killed,  and  six 
hundred  and  eighty-six  wounded.  They  owed  their  escape 
from  ruin,  only  to  the  narrow  road  by  which  they  retreated, 
and  the  impenetrable  wilderness  by  which  it  was  bordered; 
which  made  the  manoeuvres  of  cavalry  impossible,  and  enabled 
a  small  rear-guard  to  cover  their  flight  successfully.  It  was 
said  that  General  Shields  was  fifteen  miles  in  the  rear  with 
his  reserves,  when  the  battle  occurred,  and  that  the  forces  en 
gaged  were  commanded  by  Brigadier- General  Tyler. 

As  the  evening  approached,  General  Jackson  recalled  Ms 
jaded  men  from  the  pursuit,  and  led  them  by  a  side  way,  from 
Lewiston,  towards  the  mouth  of  Brown's  Gap,  in  the  Blue 
Ridge.  As  they  passed  the  field  of  battle  on  their  return,  they 
saw  the  hills  opposite  to  Port  Republic,  black  with  the  troops  of 
Fremont,  who  had  arrived  in  time  to  be  impotent  spectators  of 
the  flight  of  their  friends.  That  commander  now  vented  his  dis 
appointed  malice  in  an  act  of  inhumanity,  for  which  he  will  be 
execrated  until  his  name  sinks  into  its  merited  oblivion.  The  tall 
wheat  and  the  tangled  thickets  were  full  of  the  dead  and  of 

54 


426  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSOX. 

mangled  wretches,  difficult  to  be  discovered,  and  scattered  over 
a  length  of  three  miles.  A  dreary  and  chilling  rain  was  com 
mencing.  The  Confederates  were  busy  searching  out  and 
relieving  the  sufferers,  and  collecting  the  dead  for  a  decent 
burial.  Many  wounded  men  had  been  carried  into  a  farm-house 
near  the  river,  and  its  surrounding  buildings,  and  the  yellow  flag, 
the  sacred  badge  of  suffering,  was  conspicuously  displayed  from 
its  roof,  while  the  surgeons  and  chaplains  were  busily  plying 
their  humane  labors.  Suddenly  Fremont  advanced  his  artillery 
and  riflemen,  to  the  heights  from  which  General  Jackson  had 
cannonaded  the  troops  of  Shields  the  previous  day,  and  swept 
the  whole  field,  and  the  hospital,  with  a  storm  of  shot.  The 
ambulances,  with  their  merciful  attendants,  were  driven  away, 
and  the  wounded  fled  precipitately  from  their  cots.  The  design 
of  this  outrage  was  obvious ;  it  was  supposed  that  the  humanity 
of  General  Jackson,  would  prompt  him  to  demand  by  flag  of 
truce,  an  unmolested  opportunity  to  tend  the  wounded;  and  on 
that  request,  the  Federal  General  designed  to  found  a  pretext 
for  claiming,  in  his  despatches,  the  command  of  the  field  and  the 
victory;  which  he  knew  belonged  to  Jackson.  .  Bat  the  latter 
was  as  clear-sighted,  and  as  determined,  as  he  was  humane.  No 
flag  of  truce,  no  request  was  sent.  Thanks  to  the  affectionate 
zeal  of  the  soldiers,  all  the  Confederate  dead  and  wounded  had 
been  already  removed ;  and  they  were  just  proceeding  to  extend 
the  offices  of  humanity  to  their  enemies,  when  this  treacherous 
interruption  occurred.  So  that  the  only  result  of  Fremont's 
savage  generalship  was,  that  his  own  suffering  comrades  lay 
under  the  drenching  rain,  until  he  retired  to  Harrisonburg.  By 
that  time,  many  had  died  miserably  of  hemorrhage,  exhaustion 
and  hunger,  whom  their  generous  enemies  would  have  rescued; 
and  not  a  few  of  their  dead,  with  some,  perchance,  of  the  man 
gled  living,  were  partially  devoured  by  swine  before  their  burial  1 


FRUITS   OF   THE  VICTORY.  427 

It  was  as  General  Jackson  was  returning  on  this  day  from  the 
pursuit  of  the  routed  Federalists,  that  he  first  saw  their  diabol 
ical  explosive  rifle-balls.  A  soldier  presented  him  several  which 
he  had  found  in  the  dust  of  the  road,  unexploded.  On  examina 
tion  they  were  found  to  be  composed  of  two  pieces  of  lead, 
enclosing  a  cavity  between  them,  and  cemented  together  by  pres 
sure.  The  hollow  space  was  filled  with  fulminating  powder, 
which  was  intended  to  explode  by  percussion,  upon  the  impact 
of  the  ball  against  the  bone  of  the  penetrated  body.  Thus  the 
fragments  of  lead  would  be  driven  in  various  and  erratic  direc 
tions  through  the  mangled  flesh,  baffling  the  surgeon's  probe,  and 
converting  the  wound  into  a  mortal  one. 

"While  Jackson  sought  a  season  of  secure  repose  for  his  over 
tasked  men  within  the  mountain  cove  of  Brown's  Gap,  Fremont 
made  pretence  of  bridging  the  Shenandoah  River  in  order  to 
assail  him  again.  The  Confederate  pickets  reported  that  on  the 
evening  of  the  9th  he  was  bringing  timber  to  the  bank,  and  on 
the  morning  of  the  10th  he  was  using  it  for  some  structure  in  the. 
water.  But  soon  after,  he  seemed  to  think  better  of  his  danger 
ous  position,  and  disappeared  from  the  neighborhood.  Doubt 
less,  he  had  now  learned  the  true  condition  of  General  Shields's 
army.  The  Confederate  cavalry,  under  Colonel  Munford,  cross 
ing  the  river  above  Port  Republic,  pursued  to  Harrisonburg, 
which  they  entered  June  12th,  Fremont  having  retired  precipi 
tately  down  the  Valley,  leaving  his  hospitals,  and  many  arms 
and  carriages,  to  capture.  Four  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners 
were  taken  upon  the  field ;  and  the  sick  and  wounded  found  in 
the  hospitals  swelled  the  number  to  nine  hundred.  One  thou 
sand  small  arms,  and  nine  beautiful  field-pieces,  with  all  their 
apparatus,  fell  to  the  victors  as  prize  of  war.  On  the  9th  of 
June,  the  loss  of  the  Federalists  in  killed  and  wounded  did  not 
much  differ  from  that  of  the  Confederates.  On  the  8th  the 


428  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

disproportion  was  enormous.  In  front  of  General  Trimble's  bri 
gade  alone,  the  dead  were  two  hundred  and  ninety.  When  the 
most  moderate  addition  is  made  for  the  loss  inflicted  by  the  ter 
rific  cannonade  of  the  centre,  and  the  spirited  skirmishing  on  the 
left  of  General  Swell's  line,  the  whole  number  of  Federal  killed 
and  wounded  cannot  be  placed  at  less  than  two  thousand.  And 
to  this  agreed  the  testimony  of  the  prisoners  and  of  the  citizens. 
The  heavy  loss  of  the  Confederates  on  the'  9th  was  due  to  the 
superior  position  occupied  by  the  Federalists,  to  the  fact  that 
General  Shields's  brigades  fought  better  than  Fremont's,  and  to 
the  detention  of  General  Jackson's  column  at  the  imperfect  foot 
bridge  across  South  River,  which  caused  his  first  attack  to  fail 
through  deficient  numbers.  His  zeal  and  eagerness  led  him  to 
forget  that  no  subordinates  could  be  expected  to  urge  their  com 
mands  to  the  field  with  his  fiery  energy ;  and,  in  this  sense,  he 
required  them  to  undertake  too  much.  If  there  had  been  no 
bridge,  and  the  infantry  had  been  required  to  ford  the  summer 
stream  in  dense  columns,  so  as  to  reach  the  field  more  simulta- 
taneously,  the  victory  would  have  been  more  promptly  and 
cheaply  won.  Again,  if  the  Louisiana  brigade  of  General  Taylor 
had  been  more  accurately  directed  by  its  guides,  through  the 
tangled  wilderness  to  the  right  of  the  battle-field,  so  as  to  strike 
the  rear  of  the  enemy's  left,  as  was  the  purpose  of  their  com 
mander,  instead  of  their  left  front ;  and  if  they  had  arrived  at 
the  moment  of  the  front  attack  by  Brigadier- General  Winder,  in 
place  of  appearing  after  he  was  repulsed,  the  army  of  Shields 
would  have  been  destroyed.  For,  just  below  Lewiston,  the 
champaign  suddenly  terminates,  the  hill-side  thickets  approach 
the  river-bank,  and  to  the  mouth  of  the  single  narrow  woodland 
track,  by  which  the  Federalists  must  have  all  retreated,  Gene 
ral  Taylor  would  have  been  nearer  than  they ;  while  he  would 
have  commanded  their  approach  to  it  from  a  superior  and  a 


HIS   TROOPS  ENCAMP.  429 

sheltered  position.  The  discomfited  enemy,  thus  arrested  on 
the  one  side,  and  driven  on  the  other,  by  the  whole  weight  of  the 
Confederate  army,  into  the  neck  of  such  a  funnel,  would  have 
been  crushed  to  pieces.  Such  was  Jackson's  masterly  plan:^ 
natural  obstacles,  and  the  mistakes  of  some  subordinates,  caused 
the  performance  to  fall  short  of  it. 

But  enough  was  accomplished  to  cover  General  Jackson  with 
a  blaze  of  glory.  Fifteen  days  before,  he  was  a  hundred  miles 
from  his  base,  with  a  little  army  of  fifteen  thousand  men,  while 
forty  thousand  enemies  were  on  his  immediate  front  and  flanks. 
Now,  he  was  disembarrassed  of  them  all,  with  a  loss  of  not  more 
than  one  thousand  five  hundred  men ;  while  two  armies,  whose 
aggregate  was  double  his  own,  were  flying  from  him,  quivering 
with  disaster,  leaving  his  victorious  hands  full  of  trophies.  From 
this  hour,  doubt  and  detraction  were  silenced;  he  stood  forth 
acknowledged  by  all  as  a  General  of  transcendent  abilities.  His 
mere  name,  henceforth,  brought  assurance  of  triumph  to  his 
friends,  and  panic  to  his  enemies.  Within  forty  clays  he  had 
marched  four  hundred  miles,  fought  four  pitched  battles, — 
defeating  four  separate  armies,  —  with  numerous  combats  and 
skirmishes,  sent  to  the  rear  three  thousand  five  hundred  prison 
ers,  killed  and  wounded  a  still  larger  number  of  the  enemy,  and 
defeated  or  neutralized  forces  three  times  as  numerous  as  his 
own,  upon  his  proper  theatre  of  war,  besides  the  corps  of  M'Dow- 
ell,  which  was  rendered  inactive  at  Fredericksburg  by  the  fear 
of  his  prowess. 

On  the  12th  of  June,  before  the  dawn,  the  army  were  marched 
out  from  their  confined  and  uneasy  bivouac  in  Brown's  Gap,  to  the 
plains  of  Mount  Meridian,  upon  the  middle  fork  of  the  Shenan- 
doah,  a  few  miles  above  Port  Republic.  The  two  days'  rain 
was  now  succeeded  by  the  brilliant  suns  and  genial  warmth  of 
June.  The  troops  were  encamped  in  a  rar,ge  of  woodland 


430  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

groves  between  the  two  rivers,  surrounded  with  the  verdure  of 
early  summer,  and  the  luxuriant  wheat  fields  whitening  for  the 
harvest.  In  this  smiling  paradise  they  solaced  themselves 
five  days  for  their  fatigues,  the  men  reposing  under  the  shade, 
or  bathing  in  the  sparkling  waters  of  the  Shenandoah,  and  the 
horses  feeding  in  the  abundant  pastures.  The  Saturday  follow 
ing  the  battle^  was  proclaimed  by  General  Jackson  as  a  day  of 
thanksgiving  and  prayer,  and  all  the  troops  were  called  to  join 
with  their  General  and  their  chaplains,  in  praises  to  God  for  his 
deliverances.  The  next  day,  a  general  communion  was  observed 
in  the  3rd  Virginia  brigade,  at  which  the  Lord's  supper  was  dis 
pensed,  in  the  wood,  to  a  great  company  of  Christian  soldiers 
from  all  the  army.  At  this  solemnity  the  General  was  present, 
as  a  worshipper,  and  modestly  participated  with  his  men  in  the 
sacred  feast.  The  quiet  diffidence  with  which  he  took  the  least 
obtrusive  place,  and  received  the  sacred  emblems  from  the  hands 
of  a  regimental  chaplain,  was  in  beautiful  contrast  with  the 
majesty  and  authority  of  his  bearing  in  the  crisis  of  battle. 

The  following  brief  extract  from  his  correspondence  with  his 
wife  exhibits  the  same  humble  and  devout  temper,  which  ever 
characterized  him  • 

"  NEAR  WIER'S  CAVE,  June  14th. 

"  Our  God  has  thrown  his  shield  over  me  in  the  various  ap 
parent  dangers  to  which  I  have  been  exposed.  This  evening 
we  have  religious  services  in  the  army,  for  the  purpose  of  ren 
dering  thanks  to  the  Most  High  for  the  victories  with  which  he 
has  crowned  our  arms ;  and  my  earnest  prayer  is  that  our  ever 
kind  Heavenly  Father  will  continue  to  crown  our  arms  with 
success,  until  our  independence  shall,  through  his  divine  blessing, 
be  established." 


TttfcJ  RICHMOND   CAMPAIGN.  431 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

THE     RICHMOND     CAMPAIGN. 

AFTER  the  victory  of  Winchester  in  May,  General  Jackson 
had  requested  his  friend  Hon.  A.  R.  Boteler  to  represent  to  the 
authorities  near  Richmond,  his  desire  for  reinforcements,  that 
he  might  carry  the  war  toward  the  Federal  Capital.  "  Tell 
them,"  said  he,  "  that  I  have  now  fifteen  thousand  men.  I  should 
have  forty  thousand ;  and  with  them  I  would  invade  the  North." 
When  this  message  was  delivered  to  General  Lee,  the  Com- 
mander-in- Chief,  he  replied :  "  But  he  must  help  me  to  drive 
these  people  away  from  Richmond  first."  Thus  it  appears  that 
his  sagacious  mind  had  already  formed  the  design  of  concentrat 
ing  the  army  of  Jackson  with  his  own,  in  order  to  take  the  ag 
gressive  against  M'Clellan.  Had  the  battle  of  Port  Republic 
been  a  disaster,  this  would  have  been  impossible,  and  Richmond 
would  probably  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  assailants. 
As  soon  as  the  news  of  Jackson's  victory  there  was  received  in 
Richmond,  it  was  judged  that  the  proper  time  had  arrived  for 
ttie  great  movement.  To  make  it  successful,  it  was  necessary  to 
mask  Jackson's  removal  from  the  Valley,  lest  his  enemies,  lately 
defeated,  should  assail  some  vital  point,  and  to  continue  the 
diversion  of  General  McDowell's  army  from  a  union  with 
M'Clcllan.  To  further  these  objects,  a  strong  detachment,  con 
sisting  of  the  brigades  of  Whiting,  Hood,  and  Lawton,  which 
made  an  aggregate  of  seven  thousand  men,  was  sent  to  Jackson 


LIFE   OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

by  the  way  of  Lynchburg  and  Charlottesville.  It  was  so  ar 
ranged  that  the  captives  from  Port  Republic  on  their  way  to  the 
military  prisons  of  Richmond,  should  meet  all  tkese  troops  upon 
the  road  j  and  on  their  arrival  there,  General  Lee  dismissed  the 
officers  among  them  upon  parole.  He  knew  that  they  would 
hasten  to  Washington  and  report  what  they  had  seen.  The  re 
port  of  General  M'Clellan  reveals  the  success  of  the  expedient. 
He  states  that  the  answer  made  by  Mr.  Lincoln  to  the  nest  of 
his  repeated  requests  for  the  co-operation  of  General  McDowell, 
was  the  following :  that  he  could  not  now  need  that  aid,  inas 
much  as  the  army  of  General  Lee  was  weakened  by  fifteen 
thousand  men  just  sent  to  General  Jackson,  and  the  dangers  of 
"Washington  City  were  to  the  same  extent  increased :  (the  Federal 
officers,  with  their  customary  exaggeration,  had  doubled  the 
number  of  Jackson's  reinforcements.) 

He,  meanwhile,  was  deceiving  the  enemy  in  the  Yalley  with 
equal  adroitness.  As  soon  as  Colonel  Munford  established  his 
cavalry  at  Harrisonburg,  he  sent  him  orders  to  arrest  all  transit 
up  and  down  the  Valley,  and  even  to  limit  the  communication 
between  his  own  troops  on  the  outposts  and  the  Confederate 
infantry,  to  the  narrowest  possible  bounds ;  so  that  no  intelligence 
might  steal  through  to  the  enemy.  He  also  instructed  him  to 
press  his  outposts  with  energy  against  those  of  the  enemy,  and 
to  drive  him  as  far  below  as  practicable.  He  desired  thus  to 
produce  in  Fremont  the  persuasion,  that  the  whole  Confederate 
army  was  about  to  advance  upon  him,  to  improve  its  victory  in 
that  direction.  Last,  he  requested  Colonel  Munford  to  do  all  in 
his  power,  by  other  means,  to  foster  this  belief.  Opportunity  was 
already  provided  for  carrying  out  this  order.  As  the  advance 
of  the  Confederates  pressed  toward  Fremont,  they  met,  twelve 
miles  north  of  Harrisonburg,  a  Federal  flag  of  truce,  in  the  hands 
of  a  major,  followed  by  a  long  train  of  surgeons  and  ambulances 


FEDERAL  FLAG  OF  TRUCE.  133 

bringing  a  demand  for  the  release  of  their  wounded  men.     Col- 

O        O 

onel  Munford  had  required  the  train  to  pause  at  his  outposts, 
and  had  brought  the  major;  with  one  surgeon,  to  his  quarters  at 
Harrisonburg ;  where  he  entertained  them  with  military  courtesy, 
until  their  request  was  answered  by  the  commanding  General. 
He  found  them  full  of  boasts  and  arrogance :  they  said  that  the 
answer  to  their  flag  was  exceedingly  unimportant,  because  Fre 
mont  and  Shields  were  about  to  effect  a  junction,  when  they  would 
recover,  by  force,  all  they  had  lost,  and  teach  Jackson  a  lesson 
which  would  cure  his  audacity.  When  Colonel  Munford  received 
the  instructions  we  have  mentioned,  he  called  for  Mr.  William 
Gilmer  of  Albemarle,  a  gentleman  of  infinite  spirit  and  humor, 
who  was  serving  with  his  young  kinsman  as  an  amateur  trooper, 
and  gave  him  his  cue.  He  silently  left  the  village,  but  presently 
returned,  in  very  different  fashion,  as  an  orderly,  with  despatches 
from  General  Jackson  and  from  Staunton.  With  an  ostentatious 
clanking  of  spurs  and  sabre,  he  ascended  to  Colonel  Munford's 
quarters,  arid  knocked  in  a  hurried  manner.  "  Come  in,"  said 
the  gallant  Colonel.  "And  what  answer  do  you  bring,  orderly, 
from  General  Jackson?"  At  this  word,  the  Yankee  officers  in 
the  adjoining  chamber  were  heard  stealthily  approaching  the 
partition,  for  the  purpose  of  eavesdropping.  "  Why,"  said  Gil 
mer,  "  the  General  laughed  at  the  demand  for  the  surrender  of 
the  wounded  prisoners.  He  has  no  notion  of  it."  "Do  you 
bring  any  good  news  ?  "  asked  the  Colonel.  "  Glorious  news," 
he  answered.  "  The  road  from  Staunton  this  way  is  chock-full 
of  soldiers,  cannon,  and  wagons,  come  to  reinforce  Jackson  in 
his  march  down  the  Valley.  There  is  General  Whiting,  General 
Plood,  General  Lawton,  and  General  I-don't-know-who.  I  never 
saw  so  many  soldiers  and  cannon  together  in  my  life.  People 
say  there  are  thirty  thousand  of  them."  After  a  few  such  ques 
tions  and  answers,  framed  for  the  edification  of  the  eavesdroppers, 

55 


434  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GEXEKAL  JACKSON. 

Colonel  Munford  dismissed  him,  and  he  descended,  to  fill  the 
hotel  and  the  town  with  his  glorious  news.  The  whole  place 
was  speedily  in  a  blaze  of  joy  and  excitement.  Citizens  came  to 
offer  supplies  for  the  approaching  hosts ;  and  bullocks,  flour,  and 
bacon  were  about  to  be  collected  for  them  in  delighted  haste. 
After  leaving  his  guests  to  digest  their  contraband  news,  for 
several  hours,  Colonel  Munford  at  length  sent  for  them,  and  told 
them  that  he  had  a  reply  from  his  General,  respectfully  declining 
to  accede  to  their  request ;  so  that  nothing  now  remained  but  to 
send  them  back  to  their  friends,  in  the  same  honor  and  safety  in 
which  they  had  come.  They  departed  much  humbler,  and  as 
they  imagined,  much  wiser  men.  He  pushed  his  advance  soon 
after  them,  to  New  Market ;  and  upon  their  arrival  at  the  quar 
ters  of  General  Fremont  near  Mount  Jackson,  the  Federal  army 
precipitately  broke  up  its  camp,  and  retreated  to  Strasbourg; 
where  they  began  busily  to  fortify  themselves.  The  Confederate 
cavalry  then  drew  a  cordon  of  pickets  across  the  country  just 
above  them,  so  strict  that  the  befooled  enemy  never  learned 
General  Jackson's  whole  army  was  not  on  his  front,  until  he 
discovered  it  by  the  disasters  of  M'Clellan. 

The  larger  part  of  the  reinforcements  sent  from  Kichmond 
had  halted  near  Sta.unton.  On  the  evening  of  June  1 7th,  Gene 
ral  Jackson  began  to  move  his  troops  from  Mount  Meridian,  and 
leaving  orders  with  his  staff  to  send  away  the  remainder  the 
next  morning,  he  went  to  the  town  to  set  the  new  brigades  in 
motion.  No  man  in  the  whole  army  knew  whither  it  was  going. 
General  Ewell,  the  second  in  command,  was  only  instructed  to 
move  towards  Charlottesville,  and  the  rest  were  only  ordered 
to  follow  him.  Two  marches  brought  them  to  the  neighborhood 
of  the  latter  town,  where  General  Jackson  rejoined  them,  and 
confiding  to  his  chief  of  staff  the  direction  of  his  movement, 
with  strict  injunctions  of  secrecy,  departed  by  railroad,  to  hold 


VISITS  RICHMOND.  435 

a  preliminary  conference  with  General  Lee  in  Richmond.  He 
directed  that  an  advanced  guard  of  cavalry  should  precede  the 
army  continually,  and  prohibit  all  persons,  whether  citizens  or 
soldiers,  from  passing  before  them  toward  Richmond.  A  rear 
guard  was  to  prevent  all  straggling  backward,  and  when  they 
encamped,  all  lateral  roads  were  to  be  guarded,  to  prevent  com 
munication  between  the  army  and  country. 

But  on  reaching  Gordonsville,  whither  the  brigade  of  General 
Lawton  had  gone  by  railroad,  he  was  arrested  for  a  day  by  a 
groundless  rumor  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy  from  the  Rappa- 
hannock.  Then,  resuming  the  direction  of  the  troops,  he  pro 
ceeded  to  a  station  called  Frederickshall,  fifty  miles  from 
Richmond,  where  he  arrested  his  march  to  give  the  army  its 
Sabbath  rest.  No  General  knew  better  than  he,  how  to  employ 
the  transportation  of  a  railroad  in  combination  with  the  march 
ing  of  an  army.  While  the  burthen  trains  forwarded  his  store? 
he  caused  the  passenger  trains  to  proceed  to  the  rear  of  his  line 
of  march,  which  was  chosen  near  the  railroad,  and  take  up  the 
hindmost  of  his  brigades.  These  were  forwarded,  in  a  couple 
of  hours,  a  whole  day's  march  j  when  they  were  set  down,  and 
the  trains  returned  again,  to  take  up  the  hindmost,  and  give 
them  a  like  assistance. 

After  a  quiet  Sabbath,  the  General  rose  at  1  o'clock  A.M.,  and 
mounting  a  horse,  rode  express  with  a  single  courier,  to  Rich 
mond.  A  few  miles  from  his  quarters,  a  pleasing  evidence 
of  the  fidelity  of  his  pickets  was  presented  to  him.  He  endea 
vored  to  pass  this  outpost,  first  as  an  officer  on  military 
business,  and  then  as  an  officer  bearing  important  intelligence 
for  General  Lee.  But  the  guard  was  inexorable,  and  declared 
that  his  instructions  from  General  Jackson  especially  prohibited 
him  to  pass  army  men,  as  well  as  citizens.  The  utmost  he 
would  concede  was,  that  the  captain  commanding  the  picket 


436  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

should  be  called,  and  the  appeal  made  to  him.  When  he  came, 
he  recognized  his  General;  who,  praising  the  soldier  for  his 
obedience  to  instructions,  bound  them  both  to  secrecy  touching 
his  journey.  Having  held  the  desired  interview  with  the  Com- 
mander-in- Chief,  he  returned  the  next  day  to  the  line  of  march 
pursued  by  his  troops,  and  led  them,  the  evening  of  June  25th 
to  the  village  of  Ashland,  twelve  miles  north  of  Richmond. 

To  understand  the  subsequent  narrative,  the  reader  must  have 
a  brief  explanation  of  the  position  of  the  two  great  armies. 
The  Chickahominy  River,  famous  for  the  adventures  and  capture 
of  Captain  John  Smith,  in  the  childhood  of  Virginia,  is  a  slug 
gish  stream  of  fifteen  yards  width,  which  flows  parallel  to  the 
James,  and  only  five  miles  north  of  Richmond.  It  is  bordered 
by  extensive  meadows,  which  degenerate  in  many  places  into 
marshes,  and  its  bed  is  miry  and  treacherous ;  so  that  it  con 
stitutes  an  obstacle  to  the  passage  of  armies  far  more  formida 
ble  than  its  insignificant  width  would  indicate.  During  this 
year,  especially,  the  excessive  rains  and  repeated  freshets  had 
converted  its  little  current  into  an  important  stream,  its  marshes 
into  lakes,  and  its  rich,  level  cornfields  into  bogs.  But  at  the 
distance  of  half  a  mile  from  the  channel,  the  country  on  each 
side  rises  into  undulating  hills,  with  farms  interspersed  irregu 
larly  among  the  tracts  of  forest,  and  the  coppices  of  young  pine. 
General  M'Clellan,  taking  his  departure  from  the  White  House, 
on  the  Pamunkey,  and  using  the  York  River  Railroad  as  his  line 
of  supply,  had  pressed  his  vast  army  to  the  east  and  north  of 
Richmond.  Its  two  wings,  placed  like  the  open  jaws  of  some 
mighty  dragon,  the  one  on  the  north  and  the  other  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Chickahominy,  almost  embraced  the  northeast  angle 
of  the  city.  To  connect  them  with  each  other,  he  had  con 
structed  three  or  four  elaborate  bridges  across  the  stream,  with 
causeways  leading  to  them,  and  along  the  length  of  the  valley, 


TEE   BATTLES   AROUND    RICHMOND. 


43' 


THE    BATTLES    ABOUND    EICHMOND. 


438  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

by  which  he  hoped  to  defy  both  mire  and  floods.  On  both 
sides,  his  front  was  so  fortified  with  earthworks,  abattis,  and 
heavy  artillery,  that  they  could  not  be  assailed,  save  with  cruel 
loss.  These  works,  on  his  left,  were  extended  to  the  front  of 
the  battle-field  of  Seven  Pines,  and  on  his  right  to  the  hainlet  of 
Mechanicsville ;  which,  seated  upon  the  north  bank  of  the  Chick- 
ahoniiny,  six  miles  from  Eichmond,  commanded  the  road  thence 
to  Hanover  Court  House. 

The  Confederate  army,  now  under  the  immediate  order  of 
General  Robert  E.  Lee,  confronted  M'Clellan,  and  guarded  the 
course  of  the  Chickahominy,  as  high  as  the  half  sink  farm,  north 
west  of  Richmond,  where  Brigadier- General  Branch,  of  Major 
General  A.  P.  Hill's  division,  was  stationed  within  a  few  miles 
of  Ashland.  General  Lee,  after  the  battle  of  Seven  Pines,  had 
fortified  his  front,  east  of  Richmond,  in  order  that  a  part  of  his 
forces  might  hold  the  defensive  against  the  Federal  army ;  while, 
with  the  remainder,  he  attempted  to  turn  its  flank  north  of  the 
Chickahominy.  To  test  the  practicability  of  this  grand  enter 
prise,  and  to  explore  a  way  for  General  Jackson's  proposed 
junction,  he  had  caused  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  of  the  cavalry 
to  make  his  famous  reconnaissance  of  the  12th  of  June;  in  which 
that  daring  officer  had  marched  a  detachment  of  cavalry  from 
north  to  south  around  M'Clellan's  whole  rear,  and  had  discov 
ered  that  it  was  unprotected  by  works,  or  by  proper  disposition 
of  forces,  against  the  proposed  attack. 

The  conception  of  the  Commander-in- Chief  is  thus  developed 
in  his  own  general  order  of  battle,  communicated  to  General 
Jackson.  He  was  to  march  from  Ashland  on  the  25th  of  June, 
to  encamp  for  the  night,  west  of  the  Central  Railroad,  and  to 
advance  at  three  A.  M.,  on  the  26th,  and  turn  the  enemy's  works 
at  Mechanicsville,  and  on  Beaver-Dam  Creek,  a  stream  flowing 
into  the  Chickahominy  a  mile  in  the  rear  of  that  hamlet,  where 


HIS   AKMY   AT   ASHLAND.  439 

he  had  a  powerful  reserve  entrenched.  Major-General  A.  P. 
Hill  was  to  cross  the  Chickahominy,  to  the  north  side,  at  the 
meadow  bridges,  above  Mechanicsville,  and  associating  to  him 
self  Branch's  brigade,  which  was  to  advance  so  soon  as  the 
march  of  General  Jackson  opened  a  way  for  it,  was  to  sweep 
down  against  the  enemy's  right.  As  soon  as  the  Mechanicsville 
bridge  should  be  uncovered,  Longstreet  and  D.  II.  Hill  were 
to  cross,  the  latter  to  proceed  to  the  support  of  Jackson,  and  the 
former  to  that  of  A.  P.  Hill.  The  four  commands  were  directed 
to  sweep  down  the  north  side  of  the  Chickahominy,  toward  the 
York  River  Railroad;  Jackson  on  the  left  and  in  advance, 
Longstreet  nearest  the  river  and  in  the  rear.  Huger  and 
Magruder  were  to  hold  their  positions  south  of  the  Chickahoin- 
iny,  against  any  assault  of  the  enemy,  to  observe  him  closely, 
and  to  follow  him  should  he  retreat.  General  Stuart,  with  his 
cavalry,  was  thrown  out  on  Jackson's  left,  to  guard  his  flank,  and 
give  notice  of  the  enemy's  movements. 

The  evening  of  June  25th  found  the  army  of  General  Jackson 
a  few  miles  short  of  their  appointed  goal — at  Ashland — instead 
of  the  line  of  the  Central  Railroad.  The  difficulties  of  handling 
so  large  a  force  with  inexperienced  subordinates,  concurred  with 
the  loss  of  the  bridges  on  his  direct  line  of  march,  (lately  burned 
by  order  of  the  Federalists,)  to  delay  him  thus  much.  No  com 
mander  ever  sympathized  more  fully  with  the  spirit  of  Napo 
leon's  answer,  when  he  replied  to  one  of  his  marshals,  in  view 
of  a  similar  combination  of  his  armies  for  a  great  battle :  "  Ask 
me  for  anything  but  time."  Jackson's  ardent  soul,  on  fire  with 
the  grandeur  of  the  operations  before  him,  and  with  delight  in 
their  boldness  and  wisdom,  and  chafing  at  the  delays  of  blunder 
ing  and  incompetent  agents,  forbade  rest  or  sleep  for  him  on  this 
important  night.  He  deliberately  devoted  the  whole  of  it  to  the 
review  of  his  preparations,  and  to  prayer.  Rations  were  to  be 


440  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

distributed  and  prepared  by  the  men  for  three  days.  The  lead 
ers  of  the  different  divisions,  encamped  around  Ashland,  were  to 
be  instructed  in  their  routes,  so  that  the  several  commands  might 
take  their  places  in  the  column  without  confusion  or  delay. 
After  all  his  staff  were  dismissed  for  a  short  repose,  he  still 
paced  his  chamber  in  anxious  thought,  or  devoted  to  wrestling 
with  God  the  intervals  between  the  visits  of  his  officers.  In  the 
small  hours  of  the  night,  two  of  the  commanders  of  divisions 
came  to  suggest  that  he  should  move  the  army  by  two  columns, 
on  parallel  roads,  instead  of  by  one.  He  listened  respectfully, 
but  requested  that  they  would  await  his  decision  until  morning. 
When  they  left  him,  the  one  said  to  the  other :  "  Do  you  know 
why  General  Jackson  would  not  decide  upon  our  suggestion  at 
once  ?  It  was  because  he  has  to  pray  over  it,  before  he  makes 
up  his  mind."  A  moment  after,  the  second  returned  to  Jackson's 
quarters  to  fetch  his  sword,  which  he  had  forgotten ;  and,  as  he 
entered,  found  him  upon  his  knees  !  praying,  doubtless,  for  Omni 
scient  guidance  in  all  his  responsible  duties,  for  his  men,  and  for 
his  country. 

Notwithstanding  his  efforts,  the  army  did  not  move  until  after 
sunrise;  when,  all  being  ready,  it  advanced  in  gallant  array 
toward  the  southeast,  crossed  the  Central  Railroad,  and,  meet 
ing  here  and  there  the  vigilant  cavalry  of  General  Stuart,  which 
came  in  from  the  left  at  the  cross-roads,  approached  the  Pole- 
Green  church,  a  century  before  sanctified  by  the  eloquence  of 
the  Rev.  Samuel  Davies,  at  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  Jackson 
was  now  abreast  of  the  enemy's  right  flank  at  Mechanicsville, 
and  but  a  few  miles  north  of  it.  Between  him  and  the  church 
was  the  Tottopottamoy,  a  little  stream  which  still  bears  its  Indian 
title.  The  pickets  of  M'Clellan  occupied  the  opposite  bank,  and 
had  destroyed  the  light  wooden  bridge,  and  obstructed  the  road 
beyond  with  prostrate  trees.  The  Texan  brigade  of  Hood,  which 


THE  SEVEN   DAYS'   FIGHT.  441 

was  in  front,  deployed  a  few  skirmishers,  who  speedily  cleared 
the  opposing  bank  with  their  unerring  rifles;  and  the  wood 
beyond  was  shelled  by  one  of  Whiting's  batteries  while  the 
bridge  was  rapidly  repaired.  This  initial  cannonade  was 
intended  to  subserve  the  additional  purpose  of  a  signal,  by 
which  the  Confederates  before  Mechanicsville  might  be  adver 
tised  of  his  presence. 

For  many  hours  the  brigades  of  A.  P.  Hill  had  been  patiently 
awaiting  the  expected  sound,  before  the  enemy's  works.  They 
now  pressed  forward,  and  a  furious  cannonade  opened  on  both 
sides.  General  Hill,  supported  by  Ripley's  brigade,  of  D.  H. 
Hill's  division,  speedily  carried  the  little  village,  with  the  field- 
works  and  camp  of  the  enemy,  while  the  latter  retired  a  mile  to 
the  eastward,  to  their  stronger  lines  upon  Beaver-Dam  Creek. 
Jackson's  advance  would  in  due  time  have  turned  this  position, 
as  it  had  Mechanicsville,  and  would  thus  have  given  to  the  two 
Hills  an  easy  conquest  j  but  the  presence  of  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  and  the  President  of  the  Confederate  States  upon  the  field, 
with  their  urgency  that  the  place  should  be  carried  without 
delay,  impelled  them  to  the  attack.  The  heroic  troops  pressed 
up  to  the  stream,  and  held  the  nearer  brink  throughout  the  night, 
but  could  effect  no  lodgement  within  the  hostile  works ;  and  thus, 
at  nine  o'clock,  the  cannonade  died  away,  and  the  opposing 
forces  lay  down  upon  their  arms,  after  a  bloody  and  useless 
struggle.  As  General  Jackson's  forces  passed. the  Pole-Green 
church,  and  went  into  camp  a  little  below,  at  Hundley's  Corner, 
the  sound  of  the  guns  and  the  roar  of  the  musketry  told  them 
that  the  gigantic  struggle  had  begun. 

Thus  opened  the  seven  days'  tragedy  before  Richmond.     The 

demeanor  of  its  citizens  during'  the  evening  of  June  26th,  gave 

an  example  of  their  courage,  and  their  faith  in  their  leaders  and 

their  cause.     For  many  weeks,  the  Christians  of  the  city  had 

66 


442  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

given  themselves  to  prayer  j  and  they  drew  from  heaven  a  sub 
lime  composure.  The  spectator  passing  through  the  streets  saw 
the  people  calmly  engaged  in  their  usual  avocations,  or  else 
wending  their  way  to  the  churches,  while  the  thunders  of  the 
cannon  shook  the  city.  As  the  calm  summer  evening  descended, 
the  family  groups  were  seen  sitting  upon  their  door-steps,  where 
mothers  told  the  children  at  their  knees,  how  Lee  and  his  heroes 
were  now  driving  away  the  invaders.  The  young  people  prome 
naded  the  heights  north  of  the  town,  and  watched  the  distant 
shells  bursting  against  the  sky.  At  one  church,  a  solemn  caval 
cade  stood  waiting ;  and  if  the  observer  had  entered,  saying  to 
himself:  "This  funeral  reminds  me  that  Death  claims  all  seasons 
for  his  own,  and  refuses  to  postpone  his  dread  rites  for  any  in 
ferior  horrors,"  he  would  have  found  a  bridal  before  the  altar. 
The  heart  of  old  Borne  was  not  more  assured  and  steadfast, 
when  she  sold  at  full  price  in  her  Forum,  the  fields  on  which  the 
victorious  Carthaginian  was  encamped. 

During  the  night,  detachments  of  the  enemy  approached  Gen 
eral  Jackson's  camps  at  Hundley's  corner,  but  were  checked  by 
Brockenborough's  battery,  and  the  1st  Maryland,  13th  Virginia, 
and  6th  Louisiana  regiments.  At  an  early  hour,  the  troops  were 
put  in  motion,  and  speedily  crossed  the  higher  streams  of  the 
Beaver-Dam,  thus  turning  the  right  of  the  enemy's  position. 
The  way  was  now  opened,  by  their  retreat,  for  the  advance 
of  General  D.  H.  Hill,  who  crossing  Jackson's  line  of  march, 
passed  to  his  front  and  left.  The  evacuation  of  the  lines  of 
Beaver-Dam  also  soon  followed.  At  the  dawn  of  day,  the  con 
test  between  the  Federal  artillery  there,  and  that  of  General  A. 
P.  Hill  had  been  resumed ;  but  perceiving  the  divisions  of  Gen 
eral  Jackson  approaching  their  rear,  the  enemy  retreated  pre 
cipitately  down  the  Chickahominy  towards  Cold  Harbor,  pur 
sued  by  Generals  A.  P.  Hill  and  Longstreet,  burning  vast 


MARCHES  TO  COLD  HARBOR.  443 

quantities  of  army  stores,  and  deserting  many  uninjured.  As 
General  Jackson  approached  Walnut  Grove  church,  he  met  the 
Commander-in-Chief ;  and  while  he  halted  his  column  to  receive 
his  final  instructions  from  him,  the  gallant  division  of  A.  P.  Hill 
filed  past,  in  as  perfect  array  as  though  they  had  been  unscathed 
of  battle.  General  Lee  presuming  that  the  Federalists  would 
continue  to  withdraw,  if  overpowered,  toward  the  York  River 
Railroad  and  the  White  House,  directed  General  Jackson  to 
proceed,  with  General  D.  II.  Hill,  to  a  point  a  few  miles  north  of 
Cold  Harbor,  and  thence  to  march  to  that  place,  and  strike 
their  line  of  retreat.  Two  roads  led  thither,  the  one  direct, 
the  other  circuitous.  The  latter,  which  passed  first  eastward, 
and  then  southward,  was  the  one  which  offered  the  desired  route 
for  General  Jackson;  for  the  former  would  have  conducted 
him  to  ground  in  the  rear  of  the  retreating  army,  already 
occupied  by  General  A.  P.  Hill.  General  Jackson  had  selected 
young  men  of  the  vicinage,  found  in  a  company  of  cavalry  near 
him,  for  guides.  When  he  asked  them  the  road  to  Cold  Harbor, 
his  habitual  reticence,  in  this  instance  too  stringent,  withheld  all 
explanation  of  his  strategic  designs.  They  therefore  naturally 
pointed  him  to  the  direct  and  larger  road,  as  the  route  to  Cold 
Harbor.  After  inarching  for  a  mile  and  a  half,  the  booming  of 
'  cannon  in  his  front  caught  his  ear,  and  he  -demanded  sharply  of 
the  guide  near  him :  "  Where  is  that  firing  ?  "  The  reply  was,  that 
it  was  in  the  direction  of  Gaincs's  Mill.  "Does  this  road  lead 
there  ?  "  he  asked.  The  guide  told  him  that  it  led  by  Gaines's 
Mill  to  Cold  Harbor.  "  But,"  exclaimed  he,  "  I  do  not  wish 
to  go  to  Gaincs's  Mill.  I  wish  to  go  to  Cold  Harbor,  leaving 
that  place  to  the  right."  «  Then,"  said  the  guide,  "the  left-hand 
road  was  the  one  which  should  have  been  taken  j  and  had  you 
let  me  know  what  you  desired,  I  could  have  directed  you  aright 
at  first."  Nothing  now  remained,  but  to  reverse  the  column, 


444  LIFE   OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

and  return  to  the  proper  track.     It  was  manifest  that  an  hour 
of  precious  time  must  be  lost  in  doing  this,  while  the  accelerated 
firing  told  that  the  battle  was  thickening  in  the  front,  and  every 
heart  trembled  with  the  anxious  fear  lest  the  irreparable  hour 
should  be  lost  by  the  delay.     But  Jackson  bore  the  same  calm 
and  assured  countenance,  and  when  this  fear  was  suggested  to 
him,  he  replied:  "No,  let  us  trust  that  the  providence  of  our 
God  will  so  overrule  it,  that  no  mischief  shall  result."     Nor 
was  he  mistaken  in  this  confidence;  for  the  time  thus  allowed  to 
General  D.  H.  Hill   enabled  him  to  reach  the  desired  point  of 
meeting  north  of  Cold  Harbor,  just  in  front  of  Jackson,  and 
brought  them  into  precise  conjunction.     They  then  turned  to  the 
right  and  moved  directly  toward  the  supposed  position  of  the 
enemy,  with  the   division  of  Hill  in  front,  followed  by  those  of 
Ewell,  Whiting,  and  Jackson  in  the  order  of  their  enumeration. 
After  passing  Cold  Harbor,  and  arresting  at  that  spot  a  few 
Federal  carriages,  they  perceived  the  enemy  about  a  half  mile 
southward,  drawn  up  in  battle  array,  and  fronting  to  the  north. 
General  Jackson,  with  a  numerous  suite,  rode  forward  to  observe 
their  position ;  and  at  his  suggestion  a  battery  from  Hill's  di 
vision  was  posted  opposite  to  them.     But  before  they  began  to 
fire,  several  Federal  batteries  opened  upon  them  a  furious  can 
nonade,  by  which  the  Generals  were  speedily  driven  to  a  distant 
part  of  the  field,  and  the  Confederate  guns  were  silenced,  after 
a  gallant  but  unequal  contest  of  half  an  hour. 

It  was  now  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  firing  west 
of  Cold  Harbor  told  that  General  A.  P.  Hill  was  fully  engaged 
with  the  enemy  there.  In  fact,  he  was  fighting  single-handed, 
the  whole  centre  of  the  opposing  host.  For  a  time,  General 
Jackson  held  his  troops  back  in  the  margin  of  the  woods  looking 
toward  the  highway,  and  along  the  line  of  their  mar^h,  in  the 
hope  that  the  enemy,  retreating  before  Generals  A.  P.  Hill  and 


M'CLELLAN'S  POSITION..  445 

Longstreet,  would  expose  their  flank  to  a  crushing  blow  from 
him,  But  the  firing  on  his  right  began  evidently  to  recede, 
showing  that  Hill,  instead  of  driving  the  savage  game  into  his 
toils,  was  giving  way  before  their  overpowering  numbers.  He 
then  determined  to  bring  his  whole  infantry  into  action.  As 
signing  to  General  D.  II.  Hill  the  extreme  left,  he  placed 
General  Swell's  division  next  him,  and  sent  orders  to  Generals 
Whiting  and  Lawton,  and  to  the  Brigadiers  of  his  own  original 
division,  which  brought  up  the  rear,  to  form  for  battle  along  the 
road  by  which  they  were  marching,  and  then  moving  in  echelon, 
beginning  on  the  left,  to  feel  for  the  position  of  the  enemy  and 
engage  him.  The  topography  was  unknown  to  Jackson  and  to  his 
subordinates,  the  forests  forbade  a  connected  view  of  the  country, 
and  no  time  was  left  for  reconnaissances.  Nothing  remained, 
therefore,  but  to  move  toward  the  firing,  and  engage  the  foe 
wherever  he  was  found. 

The  expectations  that  the  Federalists  would  continue  their 
retreat,  when  hard  pressed,  toward  the  White  House,  was 
erroneous.  Their  commander  proposed  to  himself  another  ex 
pedient  :  to  concentrate  his  troops  on  the  south  of  the  Chicka- 
liominy,  and  relinquishing  his  connections  with  the  York  River,  to 
open  for  himself  communications  with  the  River  James  below 
Richmond,  now  accessible  to  his  fleets  up  to  Drewry's  Bluffs. 
Accordingly,  his  present  purpose  was  to  stand  at  bay  upon  the 
northern  bank  of  the  former  stream,  until  he  could  withdraw  his 
troops  across  it  in  safety.  He  chose,  for  this  end,  a  strong  position, 
covering  two  of  his  military  bridges,  and  confronting  with  a  con 
vex  array,  the  Confederates  who  threatened  him  from  the  north 
and  west.  His  right,  or  eastern  wing  occupied  an  undulating 
plateau,  protected  in  front  by  thickets  of  pine  and  the  rude  fences 
of  the  country,  and  presenting  numerous  commanding  positions 
for  artillery.  In  front  of  that  wing  a  sluggish  rivulet,  speedily 


LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

degenerated  into  a  marsh,  thickset  with  briers  and  brushwood, 
stretched  away  to  the  east;  affording  a  seeming  protection  to  that 
flank.     An  interval  of  a  few  hundred  yards  in  front  of  his  right 
was  unprotected  by  any  such  obstruction ;  but  the  fields  were  here 
swept  by  a  powerful  artillery.     And  as  his  line  passed  westward, 
another  rivulet  commenced  its  course,  and  flowed  in  front  of  his 
whole  centre  and  left  wing,  in  an  opposite  direction  to  the  first, 
until,  merging  itself  into  Powhite  Creek,  it  passed  into  the  Chicka- 
honiiny  above.     His  centre  was  enveloped  in  a  dense  forest, 
which,  with  the  marshy  stream  in  front,  precluded  the  use  of  artil 
lery  by  the  assailants.     His  left  was  posted  in  a  belt  of  woodland, 
which  descended  with  a  steep  inclination  from  the  plateau  to  a 
deep  and  narrow  gully,   excavated   for   itself  by   the   rivulet. 
Three  formidable  lines  of  infantry  held  this  hill-side,  the  first 
hidden  in  the  natural  ditch  at  its  bottom,  the  second  behind  a 
strong  barricade  of  timber  a  little  above,  and  the  third  near  the 
top.     The  brow  of  the  eminence  was  crowned  with  numerous 
batteries,  which  screened  by  the  narrow  zone  of  trees,  commanded 
every  approach  to  the  position.     Last,  a  number  of  heavy,  rifled 
cannon  upon  the  heights  south  of  the  Chickahominy,  protected 
the  extreme  left,  and  threatened  to  enfilade  any  troops  advancing 
across  the  open  country  to  the  attack.     These  formidable  disposi 
tions  were  only  disclosed  to  the  Confederates  by  their  actual 
onset,  so  that  manoeuvre  was  excluded,  and  the  only  resort  was 
to  stubborn  courage  and  main  force.     And  it  was  only  on  General 
Jackson's  extreme  left,  that  the  Confederate  artillery  could  find 
any  position,  from  which  the  enemy  could  be  reached  effectively. 
The  front  upon  which  these  two  great  armies  were  to  contend 
was  less  than  three  miles  in  extent.     Hence,  as  the  brigades  of 
Longstreet  and  A.  P.  Hill  from  the  Confederate  right,  and  of  D. 
II.  Hill  and  Jackson  from  the  left,  moved  into  the  combat  on  con 
vergent  radii,  they  formed,  in  many  places,  an  order  of  battle  two 


BATTLE    OP    CHICKAHOMINY. 


447 


BATTLE    OF    CHICKAHOMIJST Y. 


44:8  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

or  three  lines  deep  j  and  those  first  engaged  were  supported  by 
those  which  arrived  later. 

The  road  along  which  General  Jackson  drew  up  his  line  for 
"battle,  made  with  the  enemy's  front  an  angle  of  forty  or  fifty 
degrees.  Hence,  the  troops  toward  the  right  had  the  longer  arc 
to  traverse,  in  reaching  the  scene  of  combat,  and  all  were  required 
to  incline  toward  their  left,  in  order  to  confront  the  enemy. 
General  D.  H.  Hill,  on  the  Confederate  left,  moved  first,  and  was 
soon  furiously  engaged.  For  two  or  three  hours  he  struggled 
with  the  enemy  with  wavering  fortunes,  unable  to  rout  them,  but 
winning  some  ground,  which  he  stubbornly  held  against  a  terrible 
artillery  and  musketry  fire.  General  Ewell  moved  next,  with  one 
brigade  upon  the  left,  and  two  upon  the  right  of  the  road  which 
led  from  Gaines's  Mill  toward  the  Federal  left.  Crossing  the 
marsh,  he  ascended  the  opposing  hill-side,  and  engaged  the  enemy 
in  the  forest.  Before  their  terrific  fire,  General  Elzey,  command 
ing  his  left  brigade,  fell  severely  wounded,  and  Colonel  Seymour, 
commanding  the  Louisiana  brigade  of  Taylor,  was  slain.  Whole 
regiments  were  killed,  wounded,  or  scattered,  under  this  leaden 
tempest;  but  still  their  dauntless  General  rallied  his  fainting 
men,  repaired  his  line,  and  held  all  his  ground  against  the  double 
and  triple  lines  of  the  enemy ;  until  just  as  his  ammunition  was 
exhausted,  welcome  succors  arrived  under  General  Lawton. 

One  cause  of  delay  in  the  arrival  of  the  remaining  troops  has 
already  been  seen,  in  the  larger  space  which  they  were  required 
to  pass  over  in  order  to  reach  the  enemy.  Another,  and  a  more 
dangerous  one,  arose  out  of  a  fatal  misconception  of  General 
Jackson's  orders  by  his  messenger.  Communicating  to  all  the 
commanders  in  the  rear  of  Ewell  the  plan  for  their  advance,  he 
had  concluded  by  instructing  them  to  await  farther  orders  before 
engaging  the  enemy  1  But  another  officer  of  the  staff,  compre 
hending  better  the  General's  true  intentions,  and  the  urgency  of 


D.    II.    HILL   ENGAGES    A   BATTERY.  449 

the  occasion,  corrected  the  error,  and  at  length  moved  the 
remaining  brigades  into  action.  Their  leaders  could  learn 
nothing  of  the  country,  to  which  they  were  all  strangers;  and 
their  movements  were  partially  concealed  from  each  other  by 
the  numerous  tracts  of  coppice  and  forest.  Hence,  instead  of 
advancing  toward  the  enemy  in  parallel  lines,  they  unconsciously 
crossed  each  other ;  and  several  of  them,  at  last,  went  into  action 
far  aside  from  the  points  at  which  they  were  expected  to  strike. 
But  the  Providence  of  that  God  to  whom  their  General  ever 
looked,  guided  them  aright  to  the  places  where  their  aid  was 
most  essential. 

The  Stonewall  Brigade,  under  General  Winder,  was  next  the 
last  in  the  line  of  march,  and  should  therefore  have  formed 
almost  the  extreme  right  of  General  Jackson's  battle.  Their 
General,  so  soon  as  he  comprehended  the  error  of  the  instruc 
tions  which  held  him  inactive,  advanced  with  chivalrous  zeal. 
But  Ms  neighbors  on  the  left,  with  whom  he  should  have  con 
nected  his  right,  having  already  passed  out  of  sight  in  the 
thickets,  he  had  no  other  guide  than  the  din  of  the  battle.  Feel 
ing  his  way  rapidly  toward  this,  he  passed  transversely  from 
right  to  left,  across  the  ground  over  which  the  corps  had  already 
swept,  and  found  himself  behind  the  struggling  line  of  D.  H.  Hill. 
This  indomitable  soldier  was  just  devising,  with  his  two  Briga 
diers,  Garland  and  Anderson,  upon  his  left,  a  daring  movement, 
to  break  the  stubborn  resistance  of  the  Federalists.  Garland 
proposed  to  swing  around  their  extreme  right  with  his  brigade  ; 
and,  taking  them  in  reverse,  to  charge  with  the  bayonet,  while 
the  rest  of  the  division  renewed  their  attack  in  front.  One 
formidable  obstacle  existed :  a  hostile  battery  at  that  extremity 
of  the  field  threatened  to  enfilade  his  ranks  while  marching  to 
the  attack.  To  obviate  this  danger,  Hill  determined  to  storm 
the  battery  with  five  regiments ;  but  only  one  — that  of  Colonel 
57 


450  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Iverson,  of  North  Carolina  —  arrived  at  it.  He  was  severely 
wounded;  and,  after  ten  minutes,  his  men  were  driven  from  it 
'by  overpowering  numbers;  but  this  interval,  during  which  its 
guns  were  silenced,  was  decisive.  For,  meantime,  Winder  had 
advanced  the  famed  Stonewall  Brigade,  in  perfect  order;  had 
rallied  to  him  all  the  shattered  regiments  of  Elzey  and  Hill 
which  he  found  lurking  under  cover,  or  waging  a  defensive 
struggle;  and  now  swept  with  an  imposing  line  and  a  thundering 
cheer  across  the  whole  plateau  occupied  by  the  enemy's  right. 
Garland  and  Anderson  dashed  simultaneously  upon  their  flank ; 
the  contested  battery  was  in  an  instant  captured  a  second  time ; 
and  the  whole  wing  of  the  Federal  army,  with  their  reinforce 
ments,  hurled  back  into  the  swamps  of  the  Chickahominy.  There 
they  broke  into  a  scattered  rabble  in  the  approaching  darkness, 
and  crouched  behind  the  trees,  or  found  their  way  across  the 
stream  to  their  friends.  This  brilliant  movement,  with  simulta 
neous  successes  upon  other  parts  of  the  field,  decided  the  day. 
Nowhere  were  the  panic  and  confusion  of  the  beaten  army 
more  utter  than  here.  The  fields  which  were  the  scene  of 
this  terrific  struggle  composed  the  farms  of  two  respectable 
citizens,  named  Maghee.  The  one  of  these  farthest  in  the  Fede 
ral  rear  was  spectator  of  their  rout.  Regiments  sent  over  by 
M'Clellan  to  support  the  wavering  battle  were  seen  to  pause, 
even  before  they  came  under  fire;  to  break,  without  firing  a 
musket ;  and  to  throw  away  their  arms,  and  fly  to  the  swamp. 
As  ordnance  wagons  and  ambulances  galloped  toward  the  scene 
of  action,  they  were  arrested  by  the  frantic  fugitives,  who  snatched 
the  animals  from  them,  and,  mounting  two  or  three  on  each,  fled 
toward  the  bridge,  leaving  ammunition  and  wounded  comrades 
to  their  fate.  One  officer  was  seen,  delirious  with  terror,  with 
his  hat  in  one  hand,  and  his  empty  scabbard  in  the  other,  scream 
ing  as  he  ran:  "Jackson  is  comma;!  Jackson  is  coming!" 


THE   ENEMY   GIVE   WAY.  451 

Indeed,  the  baseness  of.  the  Northern  soldiery  was  shown  by  the 
fact  that,  throughout  this  battle,  it  was  usually  the  supporting 
regiments  in  the  rear,  unscathed  as  yet,  which  gave  way  first ; 
while  the  resistance  was  sustained  by  the  old  United  States 
regulars  of  Sykes  and  Porter  in  the  front.  In  the  volunteer 
regiments,  the  "  will  of  the  majority,"  which  was  usually  a 
determination  to  retire  at  the  critical  moment,  was  sometimes 
expressed  against  the  authority  of  the  officers  by  a  formal  popu 
lar  vote.  To  the  entreaties  of  their  commanders  their  answers 
were :  "We  're  tired  out  fighting;"  "Got  no  more  ammunition;" 
"  Guess  the  rebels  will  be  down  to  them  bridges  soon."  And  so 
they  broke  away,  and  the  rout  was  propagated  from  the  rear  to 
the  front. 

The  two  other  brigades  of  Jackson's  old  division,  the  2nd  and 
3rd  Virginia,  under  the  lead  of  Colonels  Cunningham  and  Fulk- 
erson,  also  advanced  with  spirit  as  soon  as  they  received  correct 
orders.  Having  met  messengers  from  the  Commander-in- Chief, 
and  General  A.  P.  Hill,  they  obtained  more  correct  guidance, 
and  advanced  to  the  Confederate  right.  The  second  brigade 
supported  Brigadier- General  R.  H.  Anderson,  near  General 
Long-street's  extreme  right.  Just  as  they  arrived,  the  troops 
of  Anderson  were  giving  ground  momentarily  before  the  enemy. 
Colonel  Cunningham  proposed  to  take  the  front,  and  give  him 
an  opportunity  to  reform  behind  his  lines;  but  the  gallant 
Carolinian  insisted  upon  completing  his  own  work.  The  shout 
was  raised;  "Jackson's  men  are  here,"  and  his  regiments 
answering  with  a  cheer,  rushed  forward  again,  and  swept  all 
before  them,  leaving  to  the  Virginians  little  more  to  do  than  to 
lire  a  parting  volley.  In  like  manner,  the  third  brigade  rein 
forced  the  line  of  A.  P.  Hill,  near  the  centre,  but  only  arrived 
in  time  to  see  the  enemy  give  way  before  Whiting's  division, 
winch  had  come  earlier  to  its  help.  As  Colonel  Falkerson 


452  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

advanced  to  relieve  these  wearied  and  decimated  troops  of  the 
labors  of  the  pursuit,  the  retreating  enemy  fired  a  last  volley,  by 
which  he  was  mortally  wounded.  In  him  General  Jackson  lost 
an  able  and  courageous  subordinate,  who  had  proved  himself 
equal  to  every  task  imposed  upon  him.  Had  he  lived,  the  highest 
distinction  must  have  crowned  his  merits ;  for  his  judgment,  dili 
gence  and  talent  for  command,  were  equal  to  his  heroic  courage. 

Just  before  the  three  original  brigades  of  Jackson,  had 
marched  the  Georgia  brigade  of  Lawton,  nearly  four  thousand 
strong.  The  time  had  now  come  for  them  to  fight  their  maiden 
battle.  As  they  advanced  towards  the  enemy's  centre,  they 
unconsciously  crossed  the  line  of  march  just  before  pursued  by 
General  "Whiting,  and  passing  under  a  severe  fire  from  a  battery 
upon  the  plateau  near  Maghee's  they  crossed  the  marsh,  and 
entered  the  wood  in  rear  of  General  Ewell,  passing  between  two 
regiments  which  had  retired  from  the  contest  after  exhausting 
their  ammunition.  Here  the  brigade  was  thrown  into  line,  and 
advanced  firing,  with  imposing  force.  Their  appearance  was  most 
timely ;  for  the  shattered  remnant  with  which  Ewell  still  stood 
at  bay,  were  firing  their  last  rounds  of  cartridges.  As  the  grim 
veteran  saw  this  magnificent  line  of  thirty-five  hundred  bayonets 
sweeping  through  the  woods,  he  waved  his  sword  with  enthusi 
asm  and  shouted;  "Huzza  for  Georgia!"  Lawton,  receiving 
directions  from  him,  pressed  forward  with  a  steady  advance, 
drove  the  enemy's  centre  from  the  woods,  into  the  open  fields, 
nearer  the  river,  and  connecting  with  D.  H.  Hill  and  Winder 
on  his  left,  assisted  them  in  sweeping  the  Federalists,  at  night 
fall,  into  the  swamps. 

But  the  most  brilliant  achievement  of  the  day  was  reserved 
for  the  division  of  General  Whiting,  consisting  of  the  Mississippi 
brigade  of  Colonel  Law,  and  the  Texan  brigade  of  General 
Hood.  In  Jackson's  initial  order  of  battle,  they  filled  the  space 


HIS   DESCRIPTION   OF   THE   CHARGE.  453 

between  Ewell  and  Lawton,  thus  being  the  third  division,  count 
ing  from  the  left.  Whiting,  after  "being  sorely  embarrassed  by 
the  confused  and  erroneous  instructions  received,  was  properly 
informed  of  General  Jackson's  wishes,  and  put  his  two  brigades  in 
motion.  Before  they  had  advanced  far,  he  met  the  Commander- 
in- Chief,  who  directed  him  to  the  part  of  the  field  held,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  battle,  by  A.  P.  Hill.  Passing  through  the 
forest  from  which  this  General  had  already  driven  the  enemy, 
he  emerged  into  a  broad,  open  field,  in  front  of  that  ravine  and 
gully,  which  have  already  been  described  as  covering  the  left- 
centre,  and  left  of  the  Federal  army.  Farther  toward  the 
Confederate  right,  Longstrect  was  bringing  up  his  division 
simultaneously,  to  storm  this  desperate  line ;  and,  after  other 
brigades  had  recoiled,  broken  by  a  fire  under  which  it  seemed 
impossible  that  any  troops  could  live,  was  just  sending  in  his 
never-failing  reserve,  Pickett's  veteran  brigade.  These  troops, 
after  advancing  heroically  over  the  shattered  regiments  of  their 
friends,  within  point  blank  range  of  the  triple  lines  before  them, 
unfortunately  paused  to  return  the  fire  of  the  concealed  enemy. 
The  entreaties  of  their  officers  to  charge  bayonets  were  unheard 
amidst  the  terrific  roar  of  musketry.  It  was  as  they  stood  thus, 
decimated  at  every  volley,  unable  to  advance,  but  too  courageous 
to  flee,  that  the  brigades  of  Hood  and  Whiting  were  launched 
against  the  Federal  lines  on  the  left.  The  charge  may  be  best 
described  in  the  language  of  General  Jackson  himself. 

"  Advancing  thence,  through  a  number  of  retreating  and  dis 
ordered  regiments,  he  came  within  range  of  the  enemy's  fire ; 
who,  concealed  in  an  open  wood,  and  protected  by  breastworks, 
poured  a  destructive  fire,  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  into  his  advanc 
ing  line ;  under  which  many  brave  officers  and  men  fell.  Dash 
ing  on  with  unfaltering  step,  in  the  face  of  these  murder o/is 
discharges  of  canister  and  musketry,  General  Hood  and  Colonel 


454  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Law,  at  the  heads  of  their  respective  brigades,  rushed  to  the 
charge  with  a  yell.  Moving  'down  a  precipitous  ravine,  leaping 
ditch  and  stream,  clambering  up  a  difficult  ascent,  and  exposed 
to  an  incessant  and  deadly  fire  from  the  entrenchments,  these 
brave  and  determined  men  pressed  forward,  driving  the  enemy 
from  his  well-selected  and  fortified  position. 

"  In  this  charge,  in  which  upwards  of  a  thousand  men  fell, 
killed  and  wounded,  before  the  fire  of  the  enemy,  and  in  which 
fourteen  pieces  of  artillery  and  nearly  a  regiment  were  captured, 
the  fourth  Texas,  under  the  lead  of  General  Hood,  was  the  first 
to  pierce  these  strong-holds  and  seize  the  guns."  .  .  .  .  "  The 
shouts  of  triumph  which  rose  from  our  brave  men  as  they, 
unaided  by  artillery,  had  stormed  this  citadel  of  their  strength, 
were  promptly  carried  from  line  to  line,  and  the  triumphant 
issue  of  this  assault,  with  the  well-directed  fire  of  the  batteries, 
and  successful  charges  of  Hill  and  Winder  upon  the  enemy's 
right,  determined  the  fortunes  of  the  day.  The  Federalists, 
routed  at  every  point,  and  aided  by  the  darkness  of  the  night, 
escaped  across  the  Chickahominy." 

The  next  morning,  as  Jackson  inspected  this  position,  and  saw 
the  deadly  disadvantages  under  which  the  Texans  had  carried  it, 
he  exclaimed ;  "  These  men  are  soldiers  indeed  !  "  Here,  and  in 
front  of  Pickett's  charge  near  by,  all  the  Confederate  dead  were 
on  the  north  side  of  the  gorge.  Just  as  soon  as  the  enemy  saw 
them  determined  to  advance,  in  spite  of  their  fire,  and  the  first 
line  was  dislodged  from  the  channel  of  the  rivulet  in  front,  the 
other  two  lines  incontinently  fled  from  their  barricades,  although 
well  able  still  to  have  repulsed  the  shattered  assailants  twice 
over ;  nor  did  the  artillery  hold  their  ground  with  more  firmness 
upon  the  brow  of  the  ascent.  But  now,  as  the  troops  of  Long- 
street  and  Whiting  drove  the  throng  of  their  foes  from  cover 
into  the  open  fields,  they  speedily  reaped  a  bloody  revenge  for 


DIRECTS  THE   PURSUIT.  455 

all  previous  losses.  The  Federal  infantry,  resigning  all  thought 
of  battle,  fled  across  the  fields  or  huddled  together  in  the  open 
vales,  where  the  furious  Confederates  mowed  them  down  by 
hundreds.  The  Federal  artillery  flying  to  another  position  a 
few  hundred  yards  in  the  rear,  opened  upon  retreating  friends 
and  advancing  foes,  distinguished  nothing  in  the  gathering  gloom ; 
and  as  the  victors  rushed  upon  the  guns  again,  they  drove  before 
them  as  a  living  shield,  a  confused  herd  of  fugitives,  whose  bodies 
received  the  larger  part  of  the  volleys  of  canister. 

During  the  afternoon,  General  Jackson,  with  his  escort,  occu 
pied  a  position  near  Cold  Harbor,  where  five  roads  met,  in  the 
rear  of  his  left  centre.  Ignorant  of  the  delay  which  had  kept  his 
reserves  for  two  hours  out  of  the  strife,  and  of  its  unlucky  cause, 
he  grew  more  and  more  anxious  as  the  sun  approached  the  hori 
zon,  and  the  sustained  firing  told  him  that  the  enemy  was 
nowhere  broken.  Sending  first  for  Stuart,  he  suggested  to  him 
a  vigorous  charge  of  cavalry;  but  this  was  relinquished  as 
impracticable.  His  gigantic  spirit  was  manifestly  gathering 
strength,  and  its  rising  tides  were  chafing  stormily  against  their 
obstacles.  Riding  restlessly  to  and  fro  to  the  different  points  of 
interest,  he  issued  his  orders  in  a  voice  which  rang  with  the 
deadly  clang  of  the  rifle,  rather  than  the  sonorous  peal  of  the 
clarion.  Check  and  brow  were  blazing  with  the  crimson  blood, 
and  beneath  the  vizor  of  his  old  drab  cap,  his  eye  glared  with  a 
fire,  before  which  every  other  eye  quaile'd.  But  a  half  hour  of 
sunlight  now  remained.  Unconscious  that  his  veteran  brigades 
were  but  now  reaching  the  ridge  of  battle,  he  supposed  that  all 
his  force  had  been  put  forth,  and  (what  had  never  happened 
before)  the  enemy  was  not  crushed.  It  was  then  that  he  de 
spatched  messengers  to  all  the  commanders  of  his  divisions,  with 
these  words :  "  Tell  them  this  affair  must  hang  in  suspense  no 
longer ;  sweep  the  field  with  the  bayonet."  The  olficers  darted 


456  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

away  with  their  messages ;  but  before  they  reached  the  line;  the 
ringing  cheers,  rising  from  every  side  out  of  the  smoking  woods, 
told  that  his  will  was  anticipated,  and  the  day  was  won.  At 
this  sound,  no  elation  lighted  up  his  features,  but  subduing  the 
tempest  of  his  passion,  he  rode  calmly  forward,  to  direct  the 
pursuit  of  the  enemy. 

In  this  battle,  General  Jackson  employed  little  artillery. 
Upon  his  wing  a  few  of  the  batteries  of  D.  II.  Hill  were  put 
in  action  at  the  extreme  left,  with  small  effect  at  first,  upon  the 
enemy's  fire.  Later  in  the  day,  Major  Pclham,  of  Stuart's  horse- 
artillery,  whose  splendid  courage  Jackson  then  first  witnessed 
took  position  in  front  of  Cold  Harbor,  with  two  guns,  and 
engaged  the  Federal  batteries  which  obstructed  the  movements 
of  Hill.  One  of  his  pieces  was  speedily  disabled ;  but  with  the 
other,  he  continued  the  unequal  duel  to  the  close  of  the  day.  At 
sunset,  the  batteries  upon  the  extreme  left  were  reinforced 
by  those  of  Courtenay  and  Brockenborough.  Thirty  guns  now 
opened  upon  the  retreating  enemy,  and  contributed  much  to 
his  final  discomfiture. 

In  the  battle  of  Chickahominy,  the  Confederates  used  about 
forty  thousand  men,  of  whom  twenty  thousand  belonged  to  the 
command  of  General  Jackson,  exclusive  of  the  division  of  D.  H. 
Hill,  temporarily  associated  with  it.  General  M'Clellan  asserted 
that  he  had  but  thirty-six  thousand  men  engaged.  The  length 
of  his  triple  lines  of  battle,  and  the  superior  numbers  met  by  the 
Confederates  at  every  point,  show  that  if  this  statement  was 
correct,  it  excluded  the  reserves  engaged  at  the  close  of  the  day ; 
and  if  a  similar  subtraction  were  made  on  the  other  side,  their 
numbers  also  would  be  reduced  far  below  that  amount.  General 
Lee  declared  that  the  •  principal  part  of  the  Federal  army  was 
engaged.  When  it  is  remembered  that  this  force  embraced  all 
of  their  regulars,  and  that  the  adroit  use  of  the  position  selected 


THE   ENEMY    CROSS   THE    CHICKAIIOMIXY.  457 

by  M'Clellan  debarred  the  Confederates  from  the  employment 
of  artillery,  while  it  exposed  them  on  both  wings  to  that  power 
ful  implement  of  war,  their  victory  will  be  received  as  a  glorious 
proof  of  their  prowess.  They  captured  twenty-five  pieces  of 
artillery,  and  more  than  four  thousand  prisoners ;  while  the  field 
showed  that  the  carnage  among  the  Federalists  was  considerably 
heavier  than  among  the  patriots.  The  victory  was  purchased  by 
a  loss  of  five  hundred  and  eighty-nine  men  killed  on  the  field, 
two  thousand  six  hundred  and  seventy-one  wounded,  and  twenty- 
four  missing,  in  Jackson's  corps.  In  the  other  divisions  engaged,  the 
loss  was  also  heavy.  Several  circumstances  made  the  price  paid 
for  the  splendid  advantages  of  this  achievement,  heavier  than  it 
might  have  been,  and  the  fruits  more  scanty.  Of  these,  the  one 
most  worthy  of  the  attention  of  the  Confederates,  because  sus 
ceptible  of  a  remedy,  was  the  lack  of  a  competent  general  Staff, 
by  which  the  plans  of  the  Commander-in- Chief  might  be  carried 
out  with  accuracy,  and  unity  of  action  secured.  Next,  it  should 
be  remarked,  that  the  generals  were  possessed  of  no  topographi 
cal  surveys,  and  were  therefore  compelled  to  manoeuvre  their 
troops  without  any  acquaintance  with  the  ground,  in  an  intricate 
country,  obscured  by  woodlands,  and  devoid  of  any  elevated 
points  of  view.  The  whole  space  over  which  Jackson's  troops 
moved,  was  occupied  by  a  succession  of  thickets  of  pine,  and 
insignificant  farms ;  so  that  scarcely  anywhere  did  two  brigades 
move  in  sight  of  each  other,  and  an  advance  of  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  invariably  hid  them  from  view.  It  was  vain  therefore,  for 
the  General  to  depend  upon  his  own  eyes;  and  with  a  scanty 
and  ill-organized  staff,  he  had  no  means  of  knowing,  for  a  consid 
erable  time,  whether  his  orders  were  executed  or  not. 

On  the  morning  of  Saturday,  June  28th,  there  was  not  a  Fed 
eral  soldier  in  arms  north  of  the  Chickahominy.  The  two 
bridges  by  which  M'Clellan  had  retreated  were  jealously  guarded 

58 


458  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

by  his  sharpshooters,  and  by  commanding  batteries  upon  the 
southern  heights,  which  forbade  their  passage,  save  at  an  expense 
of  blood  too  great  to  be  contemplated.  Swell's  division,  with 
the  cavalry  of  Stuart,  marched,  early  in  the  morning,  for  the 
York  River  Railroad ;  which  they  occupied  without  opposition,  at 
Dispatch  Station.  The  enemy  thereupon  retreated  to  the  south 
side  of  the  river,  and  burned  the  railroad  bridge,  while  General 
Ewell  destroyed  a  part  of  the  track.  Stuart,  pursuing  a  detach 
ment  of  cavalry  toward  the  White  House,  found  all  the  Stations 
in  flames,  including  the  dwelling  and  farm  buildings  of  General 
Lee,  at  the  latter  place,  and  a  vast  amount  of  military  stores  de 
stroyed.  It  was  now  manifest  from  the  enemy's  own  act,  that 
this  line  of  retreat  was  finally  surrendered.  Two  other  alterna 
tives  remained  to  him:  one  was  to  cross  the  Chickahominy 
below,  by  the  Williamsburg  road  and  the  neighboring  ways; 
the  other,  to  turn  to  the  river  James.  To  prevent  the  adoption 
of  the  former,  General  Ewell  was  ordered  to  guard  Bottom's 
bridge,  the  next  below  the  railroad,  while  the  cavalry  watched 
the  lower  course  of  the  stream.  To  resist  the  latter,  General 
Holmes's  division  was  directed  to  watch  the  roads  leading  to 
ward  the  James,  with  a  portion  of  the  cavalry,  while  Generals 
Magruder  and  Huger  guarded  his  front,  and  stood  prepared  to 
press  the  Federalists  upon  the  first  appearance  of  retreat.  The 
Confederate  forces  upon  the  north  bank  of  the  Chickahominy 
remained  there  until  their  purposes  were  developed. 

H'Clellan,  although  still  superior  to  Lee  in  numbers  and  ma 
teriel  of  war,  was  now  in  a  situation  which  might  well  excite  his 
solicitude.  His  vast  army,  cut  off  from  its  established  line  of 
supplies,  must  either  move  at  once  or  starve.  Before  him,  and 
on  both  his  flanks  was  a  determined  and  victorious  foe.  Behind 
him  was  a  forest  country,  possessing  few  good  roads,  and  inter 
sected  by  sluggish  water-courses,  which  the  unprecedented  rains 


DESTRUCTION   OP   AMMUNITION  BY   THE   FEDERALS.          459 

liad  this  year  converted  into  swamps.  But  the  forests  were,  ia 
another  aspect;  his  friends ;  for  they  concealed  his  designs  and 
prevented  the  watching  of  his  movements.  One  vigorous  day's 
march,  moreover,  would  bring  him  to  his  powerful  fleet,  which 
would  give  him  a  secure  refuge  and  the  needed  supplies.  Satur 
day  evening,  there  were  manifest  signs  of  movement  behind  the 
Federal  entrenchments,  and  Sunday  morning  they  were  aban 
doned,  and  the  bridges  across  the  Chickahominy  were  broken 
down.  General  Longstreet  now  marched  to  the  south  side  by 
the  New  Bridge ;  but  the  Grapevine  Bridge  opposite  General 
Jackson's  position  was  so  destroyed  that  the  pioneers  consumed 
nearly  the  whole  day  in  repairing  it.  Late  in  the  afternoon,  the 
Stonewall  Brigade,  with  the  General  and  his  Staff,  passed  over, 
and  inspected  the  country.  At  the  Trent  farm  near  by,  were 
extensive  bowers,  ingeniously  woven  of  cedar  boughs,  which  had 
surrounded  the  headquarters  where  M'Clellan  had  recently  re 
sided,  in  a  village  of  canvas,  provided  with  every  appliance  of 
luxury.  Here  also  was  his  telegraph  office,  whence  lines  di 
verged  to  each  corps  of  his  army  and  to  Washington,  with  the 
floor  littered  with  the  originals  of  those  fictitious  despatches, 
with  which  his  Government  was  wont  to  delude  its  people.  A 
little  farther,  General  Jackson  found  the  forces  of  General  Ma- 
gruder,  with  the  Commander-in-Chief,  watching  the  retreating 
enemy ;  and,  it  was  agreed,  after  consultation,  that  the  evening 
was  too  far  advanced  for  an  effective  movement,  and  that  Gene 
ral  Jackson  should  return  to  his  bivouac,  and  commence  his 
march  in  pursuit  at  dawn  the  next  morning.  As  he  rode  across 
the  fields  this  evening,  he  witnessed  a  spectacle  of  inexpressible 
grandeur.  The  attention  was  attracted  toward  the  east  by  the 
roar  of  an  invisible  railroad  train,  which  seemed  to  be  rushing 
toward  the  Chickahominy,  far  beyond  the  distant  woods,  with  a 
speed  which  was  constantly  accelerated  until  it  became  frightful. 


460  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

Suddenly,  as  the  beholders  were  speculating  upon  the  cause  of  this 
sound,  a  vast  pillar  of  white  smoke  was  seen  to  spring  upwards 
into  the  sky,  which  rose  higher  and  higher,  and  continually 
unfolded  itself  from  within,  in  waves  of  snowy  vapor,  until  it 
filled  that  quarter  of  the  heavens.  And,  a  moment  after,  the 
atmosphere,  slower  than  the  sunbeams,  brought  to  the  ear  an 
astounding  explosion,  in  which  a  multitude  of  nearly  simulta 
neous  thunder-claps  were  mingled  into  a  roar  louder  than  can 
non.  The  explanation  was  learned  afterwards.  The  retreating 
foe  had  loaded  a  train  with  a  vast  bulk  of  ammunition,  and, 
firing  the  engine  to  its  most  intense  heat,  had  launched  it  from 
Savage's  Station,  without  a  guide,  with  a  slow  match  lighted. 
Just  as  it  plunged  into  the  Chickahominy,  at  the  chasm  where 
the  bridge  had  lately  been,  the  powder  caught  j  and  ammunition, 
engine,  and  carriages  were  blown  into  one  huge  wreck. 

This  was  not  the  only  form  of  destruction  which  the  Federal 
ists  employed  to  prevent  their  enemies  from  profiting  by  the 
spoils.  Their  industry  in  attempting  to  demolish  was  equal  to 
the  haste  of  their  flight.  The  whole  country  was  full  of  deserted 
plunder;  and  this,  indeed,  was  equally  true  of  the  tracts  over 
which  they  had  been  driven  on  the  north  side  of  the  river,  from 
Mechanic sville  downward.  Army  wagons  and  pontoon  trains, 
partially  burned  or  crippled ;  mounds  of  grain  and  rice,  and  hil 
locks  of  mess-beef  smouldering ;  tens  of  thousands  of  axes,  picks, 
and  shovels ;  camp-kettles  gashed  with  hatchets ;  medicine-wagons 
with  their  drugs  stirred  into  foul  medley ;  and  all  the  apparatus 
of  a  vast  and  lavish  host,  encumbered  the  roads ;  while  the  mire 
under  foot  was  mixed  with  blankets  lately  new,  and  overcoats 
torn  in  twain  from  the  waist  up.  For  weeks  afterwards,  the 
agents  of  the  army  were  busy  gathering  in  the  spoils ;  while  a 
multitude  of  the  country  people  found  in  them  partial  indemnity 


TAKES   MANY   PRISONERS.  461 

for  the  ruin  of  their  farms.     Great  stores  of  fixed  ammunition 
were  saved,  while  more  was  destroyed. 

Scarcely  had  General  Jackson  returned  to  the  northern  bank, 
when  a  rapid  outbreak  of  firing  told  that  G-eneral  Magruder  had 
attacked  the  enemy  near  Savage's  station.  Here  were  the  last 
entrenchments  behind  which  M-'Clellan  could  stand  at  bay.  By 
a  vigorous  attack  in  flank  and  front,  he  was  driven  out  of  them 
just  at  sunset,  and  pursued  for  a  short  space  with  great  slaughter. 
The  sound  of  this  combat  kindled  again  in  Jackson's  heart  the 
fire  of  battle,  and  as  he  lay  down  under  the  open  sky  for  a  short 
repose,  he  gave  orders  that  everything  should  be  ready  to  move 
in  pursuit  at  the  earliest  dawn.  At  midnight,  however,  a  sudden 
shower  awoke  him,  and  finding  himself  wet  through,  he  deter 
mined  to  sleep  no  more,  but  to  precede  the  troops  to  the  posi 
tion  of  General  Magruder,  in  order  to  have  time  for  fuller 
conference.  When  the  head  of  his  column,  composed  again  of 
the  division  of  D.  H.  Hill,  reached  the  scene  of  the  evening's 
combat,  the  General  was  found  drying  himself  by  a  camp-fire. 
Without  procuring  any  food  or  refreshment,  he  now  advanced 
through  the  troops  of  Magruder,  and  took  the  old  highway  which 
led  to  Wiliiamsburg.  When  the  station  near  Savage's  came  in 
view,  a  city  of  canvas  was  seen  upon  a  distant  hill-side,  glitter 
ing  in  the  morning  sun.  This  was  a  vast  field-hospital  of 
M'Clellan,  where  twenty-five  hundred  sick  and  wounded,  with 
their  nurses,  had  been  left  by  him  to  the  care  of  the  Confed 
erates.  General  Jackson,  having  sent  a  suitable  officer  to 
receive  the  submission  of  these,  advanced  rapidly  upon  the 
enemy's  traces.  At  every  step  the  Federal  stragglers  issued 
from  the  thickets,,  and  submitted  themselves  as  prisoners  of  war, 
until  a  thousand  additional  men  were  sent  to  the  rear.  A  vast 
drove  of  mules  deserted  by  the  Federal  army,  was  gathered 
from  the  woods.  Every  hut  and  dwelling  near  the  roadside 


462  ,.rE    OF   L1EUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

was  also  converted  into  a  refuge  for  the  "wounded,  whose 
numbers  showed  the  sanguinary  nature  of  the  struggle  of  the 
previous  evening.  An  officer  congratulating  the  General  upon 
the  great  number  of  his  prisoners,  said  jocularly,  that  they 
surrendered  too  easily,  for  the  Confederacy  would  be  embar 
rassed  with  their  maintenance.  He  answered,  smiling ;  "  It  is 
cheaper  to  feed  them,  than  to  fight  them." 

Before  reaching  White  Oak  Swamp,  an  inconsiderable  stream 
which  crossed  the  road,  he  diverged  toward  the  right  in  the 
direction  of  the  Court  House  of  Charles'  City  County,  pursuing 
still  the  wrecks  of  the  enemy's  flight.  It  now  became  manifest 
that  he  had  relinquished  all  thought  of  a  retreat  toward  York- 
town,  and  had  turned  decisively  toward  the  river  James.  To 
explain  the  subsequent  movements,  the  disclosure  of  M-'Clellan'a 
plans,  still  doubtful  to  the  Confederate  commander,  must  be  a 
little  anticipated.  His  purpose  was  to  collect  his  army  and  all 
its  apparatus  upon  the  bank  of  the  James,  at  some  point  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Appomattox:  where  the  greater  width  and 
depth  of  the  stream  would  enable  his  great  fleets  to  approach 
him  with  convenience,  and  manoeuvre  for  his  defence.  To  dis 
encumber  the  roads  leading  directly  thither,  and  leave  them  free 
for  the  march  of  his  columns,  he  sent  his  whole  baggage  trains 
down  the  way  which  Jackson  had  now  reached,  leading  from  the 
neighborhood  of  Savage's  Station  on  the  railroad,  to  Charles 
City  Court  House.  Having  followed  this  route  until  they  were 
effectually  protected,  they  made  their  way  across  from  this 
thoroughfare,  to  the  deep  water  at  Harrison's  Landing.  To 
protect  them,  Franklin's  corps  was  stationed  on  the  eastern  bank 
of  White  Oak  Swamp ;  and  when  Jackson  reached  it,  he  stub 
bornly  contested  its  passage  with  him  during  the  whole  of  Mon 
day,  June  30th.  On  the  other  hand,  the  corps  of  Keyes,  from 
M'Clellan's  left,  with  the  beaten  troops  of  Porter,  were  rapidly 


M'CLELLA^'S   DISPOSITIONS.  463 

marched  to  Malvern  Hill,  a  range  of  highlands  accessible  by  the 
shortest  march  from  the  southern  end  of  the  Federal  line;  and 
overlooking  at  once  the  river  James,  and  the  New  Market,  or 
river  road,  which  leads  from  the  city  of  Richmond  down  its 
northern  side.  The  object  of  this  movement  on  the  part  of 
M-Clellan,  was  to  protect  his  communications  with  the  deep 
water  from  an  advance  down  the  New  Market  road,  which  he  had 
good  reason  to  fear.  The  remainder  of  his  great  army  was 
massed  on  Monday  midway  between  the  White  Oak  Swamp 
and  Malvern  Hill,  under  Generals  Heintzelman  and  M'Call,  to 
watch  the  roads  going  eastward;  by  which  the  Confederates 
might  insinuate  themselves  between  his  right  and  left,  and  pur 
sue  his  baggage  trains.  These  judicious  dispositions,  made  in  a 
forest  country,  and  chiefly  by  night  marches,  were  not  immediate 
ly  disclosed  in  all  their  details  to  the  Confederate  leader.  But 
his  troops  were  now  directed,  with  a  masterly  and  comprehensive 
foresight,  to  meet  every  contingency,  in  such  sort  that  had  all  his 
purposes  been  carried  out,  the  adroit  concealments  of  his  adver 
sary  would  have  been  vain.  Major  General  Holmes  was  ordered 
to  cross  from  the  south  bank  of  the  river  James,  which  he  had 
been  left  to  guard,  on  the  29th,  and  march  down  the  New  Market 
road,  to  prevent  the  enemy  from  reaching  the  water.  He  did 
not  approach  Malvern  Hill  until  the  30th,  when  he  found  it  al 
ready  powerfully  occupied  by  the  enemy  under  Kcyes  and 
Porter,  crowned  by  a  formidable  artillery,  and  flanked  by  gun 
boats  in  the  river.  Early  on  the  29th  Major-Generals  Long- 
street  and  A.  P.  Hill  were  directed  to  cross  the  Chickahominy 
at  the  New  Bridges,  and  march  eastward  by  the  Darby-town 
road,  a  highway  parallel  to  the  New  Market  road,  and  north  of  it. 
Major-Generals  Huger  and  Magrudcr  were  directed  to  press  the 
enemy  in  front,  by  the  road  leading  direct  from  Richmond  to 
Charles  City ;  while  Jackson  was  to  advance  rapidly  upon  the 


464 


LIFE  OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 


left,  scour  the  south  side  of  the  Chickahominy,  and  endeavor  to 
attain  the  enemy's  rear. 

Longstreet  and  A.  P.  Hill,  who  moved  first  on  the  29th;  first 
came  up  with  the  enemy's  centre,  upon  the  30th;  posted  a  little 
below  the  termination  of  the  Darby-town  road.  Magrudcr,  who 
advanced  by  the  same  road,  was  diverted  by  a  request  of  General 
Holmes  for  reinforcements  j  and,  thus  unfortunately,  was  turned 
aside  from  the  centre,  where  a  fatal  blow  was  practicable,  toward 
the  heights  of  Malvern  Hill,  which  were  now  unassailable ;  and 
did  not  retrace  his  steps  until  the  day  was  decided.  But  Gen 
eral  Huger  still  remained  to  support  the  attack  of  Longstreet 
and  Hill  upon  the  right;  and  General  Jackson,  on  the  other 
hand,  if  able  to  force  his  passage  across  White  Oak  Swamp, 
would  have  found  himself  upon  the  enemy's  flank  and  rear. 
Such  was  the  attitude  of  the  respective  parties  at  mid-day  of 
June  30th. 

When  Jackson  approached  the  stream  last  named,  at  this 
hour,  he  found  in  the  fields  near  it,  extensive  camps  deserted, 
and  full   of  spoils,   and    another   field-hospital   crowded   with 
wounded.     The  hills  descended  by  long  and  gentle  declivities 
on  both  sides  toward  the  little  water-course,  and  the  meadows 
along  its  margin  were  soft  and  miry  from  the  recent  rains.     On 
the  Confederate  side,  the  right  of  the  road  was  occupied  by  the 
open  fields  of  an  extensive  farm,  and  the  left  by  a  dense  forest 
of  pines.     On  the  side  occupied  by  Franklin,  the  fields  extended 
far  both  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  highway  •  but  the  low  margin 
of  the  stream  opposite  the  Confederate  right  was  covered  by  a  belt 
of  tall  forest,  in  full  leaf,  which  effectually  screened  all  the  Fed 
eral  left  from  view.     But  the  hills  on  their  right  were  occupied 
by  fifteen  or  twenty  cannon  in  position,  and  were  black  with 
long  lines  of  infantry.     General  Jackson,  riding,  as  was   his 
wont,  with  the  advanced  guard,  no  sooner  saw  the  ground  than 


WHITE    OAK   SWAMP.  465 

he  halted  his  army,  and  ordered  twenty-eight  guns  to  be  brought 
up,  by  a  little  vale  through  the  fields  on  his  right,  just  deep 
enough  to  hide  them  effectually  from  the  enemy's  view.  These, 
although  upon  his  right  wing,  were  directed  to  the  batteries  of 
the  Federalists  opposite  his  left.  At  a  preconcerted  signal,  the 
guns,  ready  shotted,  were  now  moved  forward  upon  the  brow  of 
the  eminence,  and  opened  their  thunders  upon  the  enemy.  So 
sudden  and  terrible  was  the  revelation,  they  scarcely  made  an 
effort  to  reply,  but  galloped  away,  leaving  two  or  three  rifled 
pieces  behind  them ;  while  the  ranks  of  infantry  melted  swiftly 
into  the  woods  far  in  their  rear.  After  a  little,  several  batteries 
upon  the  enemy's  left,  concealed  behind  the  belt  of  forest,  began 
to  reply  to  this  fire ;  and,  from  this  time,  the  two  parties  kept 
up  a  desultory  artillery-duel  during  the  day.  But  as  each  was 
invisible  to  the  other,  much  damage  was  neither  given  nor 
received. 

The  General  now  advanced  a  section  of  artillery  near  the 
crossing  of  the  stream,  which  speedily  drove  the  Federal  sharp 
shooters  from  the  opposite  bank  and  trees ;  and  he  ordered  over 
the  cavalry  regiment  of  Colonel  Munford.  They  found  the 
wooden  bridge  broken  up,  and  its  timbers  floating  —  a  tangled 
mass  —  in  the  waters.  •  But  just  above  was  a  deep  and  narrow 
ford,  by  which  they  passed  over,  followed  immediately  by  the 
General.  They  scoured,  with  drawn  sabres,  over  the  ground 
lately  occupied  by  the  Federal  right  wing,  noted  the  deserted 
cannon,  and  picked  up  a  few  prisoners.  But  the  enemy's  left, 
behind  the  long  screen  of  forest,  was  found  standing  fast,  while 
they  were  bringing  both  artillery  and  infantry  into  position  to 
command  the  crossing.  Colonel  Munford  therefore  passed  down 
the  stream  to  his  left,  and,  finding  a  spot  where  it  was  practica 
ble,  returned  to  his  friends  without  loss.  Jackson,  upon  observ 
ing  this,  advanced  the  divisions  of  D.  II.  Hill  and  Whiting  into 

59 


466  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

the  pine  wood  on  his  left,  detailed  a  working  party  to  act  with 
their  support,  and  attempted  to  repair  the  bridge,  with  the  pur 
pose  of  forcing  his  way  by  a  simultaneous  advance  of  his  infantry 
and  artillery.  But  the  men  could  not  be  induced  to  labor  stead 
ily,  exposed  to  the  skirmishers  of  the  enemy;  and  the  attempt 
was  abandoned.  The  remainder  of  the  afternoon  was  spent  in 
endeavors  to  discover  some  way,  on  the  right  or  the  left,  by 
which  the  vexatious  stream  could  be  crossed,  and  the  enemy's 
position  turned  j  but  the  roads  were  so  effectually  obstructed  with 
fallen  trees,  that  no  hope  appeared  of  removing  them  in  time  to 
light  a  battle  that  evening.  The  troops  were  then  withdrawn 
out  of  reach  of  the  enemy's  shells,  and  bivouacked,  to  await  a 
more  propitious  morning.  On  this  occasion  it  would  appear,  if 
the  vast  interests  dependent  on  General  Jackson's  co-operation 
with  the  proposed  attack  upon  the  centre  were  considered,  that 
he  came  short  of  that  efficiency  in  action  for  which  he  was  every 
where  else  noted.  Surely  the  prowess  of  the  Confederate  infan 
try  might  have  been  trusted,  for  such  a  stake  as  Lee  played  for 
that  day,  to  do  again  what  it  had  so  gloriously  done,  for  a  stake 
no 'greater,  on  the  27th;  it  might  have  routed  the  Federal  infan 
try  and  artillery  at  once,  without  the  assistance  of  its  own 
cannon.  Two  columns,  pushed  with  determination  across  the  two 
fords  at  which  the  cavalry  of  Munford  passed  over  and  returned, 
—  the  one  in  the  centre,  and  the  other  at  the  left,  —  and  pro 
tected  in  their  onset  by  the  oblique  fire  of  a  powerful  artillery 
so  well  posted  on  the  right,  would  not  have  failed  to  dislodge 
Franklin  from  a  position  already  half  lost.  The  list  of  casual 
ties  would  indeed  have  been  larger  than  that  presented  on  the 
30th,  of  one  cannoneer  mortally  wounded.  But  how  much  shorter 
would  have  been  the  bloody  list  filled  up  the  next  day  at  Mal- 
vern  Hill?  This  temporary  eclipse  of  Jackson's  genius  was 
probably  to  be  explained  by  physical  causes.  The  labor  of  the 


FRAZIER'S  FARM.  467 

previous  days,  the  sleeplessness,  the  wear  of  gigantic  cares,  with 
the  drenching  of  the  comfortless  night,  had  sunk  the  elasticity  of 
his  will  and  the  quickness  of  his  invention,  for  the  once,  below 
their  wonted  tension.  And  which  of  the  sons  of  men  is  there  so 
great  as  never  to  experience  this  ?  The  words  which  fell  from 
Jackson's  lips,  as  he  lay  down  that  night  among  his  Staff,  showed 
that  he  was  conscious  of  depression.  After  dropping  asleep 
from  excessive  fatigue,  with  his  supper  between  his  teeth,  he 
said :  "  Now,  gentlemen,  let  us  at  once  to  bed,  and  rise  with  the 
dawn,  and  see  if  to-morrow  we  cannot  do  something!"  Yet  he 
found  time,  amidst  the  fatigues  of  this  day,  to  write  to  Mrs.  Jack 
son,  with  a.  heart  full  of  piety  and  of  yearning  for  domestic 
happiness :  — 

"  NEAR  WHITE  OAK  SWAMP  BRIDGE,  June  30th. 

"An  ever  kind  Providence  has  greatly  blessed  our  efforts, 
and  given  us  great  reason  for  thankfulness  in  having  defended 
Richmond  as  he  has." 

"  I  hope  that  our  God  will  soon  bless  us  with  an  honorable 
peace,  and  permit  us  to  be  together  at  home,  in  the  enjoyment  of 
domestic  happiness." 

Meantime,  Generals  Longstreet  and  A.  P.  Hill,  after  confront 
ing  the  enemy's  powerful  centre  until  4  o'clock  P.  Mv  heard 
firing  upon  the  Charles  City  road,  which  they  supposed  indicated 
the  near  approach  of  Huger.  The  former  placed  a  battery  in 
position  and  discharged  it  against  the  enemy  to  give  notice  of 
his  presence.  The  Federalists  replied,  and  the  old  war-horse, 
whose  mettle  forbade  his  ever  declining  the  gage  of  battle, 
rushed  to  the  contest.  None  of  his  expected  supports  came  up ; 
and  -the  advantage  of  position  and  numbers  was  wholly  with  his 
adversaries.  But  after  a  sanguinary  conflict,  he  drove  them  from 


468  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

their  whole  line  save  at  one  point,  and  captured  many  prisoners, 
including  a  general  of  division,  several  batteries,  and  some 
thousands  of  small  arms ;  when  night  arrested  the  furious  strug 
gle.  This  action  has  been  known  as  the  battle  of  Frazier's 
farm.  So  near  did  its  issue  bring  the  enemy's  left  wing  to 
destruction,  even  without  the  expected  assistance  of  Jackson, 
Huger,  and  Magruder,  that  when  it  closed,  at  dark,  the  victorious 
troops  of  Longstreet  were,  unconsciously,  within  sight  of  the 
cross  road  by  which  Franklin  was  required  to  march  his  corps,  in 
the  r\3ar  of  the  Federal  centre,  in  order  to  reach  the  appointed 
place  of  concentration  at  Malvern  Hill.  Nay,  the  cornfields 
beyond  that  road  were  ploughed  up  with  Longstreet's  cannon- 
shot.  What  then  might  not  the  triumph  have  been,  if  the 
intended  co-operation  had  been  given  ?  As  soon  as  the  night 
grew  quiet,  Franklin,  informed  of  his  critical  position,  moved  off 
from  White  Oak  Swamp,  glided  silently  behind  the  shattered 
ranks  which  still  confronted  Longstreet,  and  retired,  with  them, 
to  the  protection  of  M'Clellan's  lines  at  Malvern  Hill.  When 
the  morning  dawned,  there  was  nothing  in  front  of  Jackson  save 
the  forsaken  cannon  of  the  enemy,  and  they  had  deserted  to 
Longstreet  a  field  ghastly  with  multitudes  of  their  slain  and 
wounded.  His  wearied  troops,  with  those  of  A.  P.  Hill,  were 
drawn  off  to  seek  the  needed  repose,  and  Magruder  took  his 
place. 

General  Jackson  putting  his  corps  in  motion  at  an  early  hour, 
July  1st,  with  Whiting's  division  in  front,  crossed  the  White  Oak 
Swamp ;  and,  a  little  after,  turning  south,  marched  upon  the 
traces  of  the  enemy  toward  Malvern  Hill.  As  he  approached 
Frazier's  farm,  a  Confederate  line  of  battle  was  seen  a  little 
distance  from  the  right  of  the  road,  with  their  skirmishers  upon 
the  opposite  side,  looking  eastward.  These  were  the  forces  of 
Magruder,  which  had  relieved  those  of  Longstreet  during  the 


POSITION  OF   THE  FEDERALISTS.  469 

night.  Jackson  passed  between  the  line  and  the  skirmishers, 
lustily  cheered  by  them,  and  pursued  the  enemy  swiftly.  The 
road  now  plunged  into  an  extensive  woodland,  with  the  Willis7 
Church  upon  the  right  hand,  filled  with  the  wounded  of  both 
armies.  After  advancing  for  a  mile  and  a  half  through  this 
forest,  the  General's  suite  was  suddenly  greeted  with  a  volley  of 
rifle-balls  from  the  Federal  outposts,  and  a  moment  after,  by  a 
shower  of  shells.  Retiring  to  a  safer  spot,  he  now  ordered  up 
his  troops,  and  prepared  to  attack.  His  reconnaissance  showed 
him  the  enemy  most  advantageously  posted  upon  an  elevated  ridge 
in  front  of  Malvern  Hill,  which  was  occupied  by  several  lines  of 
infantry  partially  fortified,  and  by  a  powerful  artillery.  In  short, 
the  whole  army  of  M'Clellan,  with  three  hundred  pieces  of  field 
artillery,  was  now,  for  the  first  time,  assembled  on  one  field, 
determined  to  stand  at  bay,  and  .contend  for  its  existence ;  while 
the  whole  Confederate  army  was  also  converging  around  it, 
under  the  immediate  eye  of  the  Commander-in-Chief  and  the 
President.  The  war  of  the  giants  was  now  about  to  begin, 
indeed !  before  which  the  days  of  Gaines's  Mill  and  Frazier's 
Farm  were  to  pale.  The  position  of  the  Federalists  had  been 
selected  by  M'Clellan  himself,  with  consummate  skill.  His  line 
fronted  north,  covering  the  river  road  behind  it,  and  presenting 
a  convex  curve  toward  the  Confederates.  His  right  was  covered 
by  a  tributary  of  Turkey  creek,  and  his  left  by  the  fire  of  his 
gunboats,  which  threw  their  monstrous  projectiles  beyond  his 
whole  front.  The  ground  occupied  by  him  dominated  by  its 
height  over  the  whole  landscape ;  and  nowhere  in  his  front  was 
there  a  spot,  where  artillery  could  be  massed  to  cope  with 
his  on  equal  terms.  For,  the  country  before  him  was  not 
only  of  inferior  altitude,  but  covered  with  woods  and  thickets, 
save  within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  his  own  lines.  And  here, 
the  open  fields  sloped  gently  away,  offering  full  sweep  to  his 


470  LIFE   OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

murderous  fire ;  while  this  approach  was  only  reached,  before 
his  right  and  centre,  by  struggling  across  the  treacherous  rivulet 
in  front. 

General  Lee  now  assigned  the  left  to  Jackson,  and  the  right 
to  Magruder,  supported  by  Huger  and  Holmes.  Longstreet  and 
A.  P.  Hill,  with  their  wearied  divisions,  were  held  in  reserve. 
The  only  spot  where  open  ground  appeared  in  opposition  to  the 
enemy's,  was  upon  Jackson's  extreme  left.  Here  an  extensive 
farm,  belonging  to  a  gentleman  named  Poindexter,  indented  the 
forests,  and  its  luxuriant  wheat  fields,  partially  reaped,  descended 
to  the  stream  from  which  the  Federal  position  rose  on  the  oppo 
site  side.  This  field  offered  the  only  ground  for  the  manoeuvr 
ing  of  artillery.  After  an  examination  of  it,  General  Jackson 
ordered  a  few  batteries  to  enter  it  from  the  covert  of  the  woods, 
and  engage  the  enemy.  But  the  number  of  guns  directed 
against  them  by  him  was  too  great ;  and  after  a  short  contest, 
they  retired  crippled.  The  batteries  of  Poague  and  Carpenter 
from  the  Stonewall  Brigade,  and  of  Balthis  from  the  division  of 
Whiting,  were  then  ordered  forward,  and  by  approaching  the 
enemy  more  nearly,  found  a  position  which,  though  of  inferior 
altitude,  offered  some  shelter.  Here  they  maintained  a  stubborn 
and  gallant  contest  with  the  numerous  batteries  opposed  to  them 
during  the  remainder  of  the  day,  and  barred  the  way  to  the 
advance  of  the  enemy's  infantry.  The  infantry  of  Whiting  was 
now  disposed  upon  the  left,  the  brigade  of  Colonel  Law  con 
cealed  in  the  tall  wheat  of  the  field,  and  that  of  General  Hood 
in  the  adjoining  forest,  while  the  3rd  Virginia  brigade,  of  Jack 
son's  division,  commanded  by  General  Hampton,  supported  the 
guns.  The  centre  was  occupied  by  the  Louisiana  brigade  of 
Taylor,  and  the  right  by  D.  II.  Hill.  The  reserve  was  com 
posed  of  the  remainder  of  the  division  of  Ewell,  and  the  bri 
gades  of  Lawton,  Winder  and  Cunningham.  These  dispositions 


D.  H.  HILL  ATTACKS  UNSUPPORTED.          471 

were  completed  by  2  o'clock,  P.  M.,  and  the  General  anxiously 
awaited  the  signal  to  begin.  But  the  corps  of  Magruder,  moving 
after  Jackson's  and  delayed  by  a  misconception  of  the  route, 
was  later  in  reaching  its  position.  Instructions  were  sent  by 
General  Lee,  that  the  onset  should  begin  upon  the  right,  with 
the  brigades  of  Magruder,  and  that  when  D.  H.  Hill  heard  the 
cheer  with  which  they  charged  the  enemy,  he  should  attack  with 
the  bayonet,  to  -be  followed  immediately  by  the  leaders  upon  his 
left.  To  approach  the  Federal  centre,  Hill  was  compelled  to 
emerge  from  the  forest,  and  cross  an  open  field,  where  he  suf 
fered  a  preliminary  loss  of  no  small  amount,  from  their  artillery. 
His  own  batteries  had  been  left  in  the  rear,  their  ammunition 
exhausted ;  and  the  Confederate  artillery  sent  to  his  support 
was  advanced,  piece-meal,  only  to  be  crippled  in  detail  and 
driven  from  the  field.  Fording  the  rivulet,  however,  in  despite 
of  his  losses,  he  found  a  partial  shelter  for  his  division  under  a 
body  of  woodland  within  four  hundred  yards  of  the  enemy's 
front.  Accompanied  by  General  Jackson,  he  then  made  a  more 
particular  examination  of  the  ground,  and  found  himself  con 
fronted  by  two  or  three  lines  of  infantry  and  batteries,  whose 
murderous  fire  commanded  every  approach.  Five  o'clock  had 
now  arrived,  when  suddenly  Hill  heard  a  mighty  shout  upon  his 
right,  followed  by  an  outburst  of  firing.  Regarding  this  as 
doubtless  the  appointed  signal,  and  the  beginning  of  Magruder's 
onset,  he  gave  the  word,  and  his  men  advanced  devotedly  to  the 
charge  under  a  storm  of  artillery  and  musketry.  The  first  line 
of  the  enemy  was  forced,  and  their  guns  were  compelled  to 
withdraw  to  avoid  capture ;  but  the  other  points  of  their  line, 
unoccupied  by  a  simultaneous  attack,  advanced  reinforcements  to 
them ;  and  Hill  was  beaten  off,  after  inflicting  and  suffering  a 
severe  loss.  Jackson  reinforced  him,  by  sending  the  brigades  of 
Trimble,  Lawton,  Winder  and  Cunningham;  but  the  difficulties 


472  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSQX. 

of  the  position,  the  approaching  darkness,  and  the  terrific  fire 
of  the  enemy,  prevented  their  doing  more  than  holding  their 
ground,  and  maintaining  an  uncertain  conflict. 

As  sunset  approached,  and  after  the  attack  of  Jackson  was 
checked,  Magruder  at  length  got  his  troops  into  position,  and 
advanced,  with  similar  results.  Much  heroism  was  exhibited  by 
his  men,  some  ground  was  won  from  the  enemy,  a  bloody  loss 
was  inflicted  upon  them,  and  received  in  his  -own  command. 
At  these  attacks,  the  fire  of  the  Federal  artillery,  which  had  been 
heavy,  became  inexpressibly  furious.  Along  their  whole  line, 
whether  assailed  or  not,  their  countless  field-pieces  belched  forth 
their  charges  of  flame  with  an  incessant  din,  which  was  answered 
back  by  the  hoarser  bellowings  of  the  gunboats  in  the  rear. 
Wherever  the  eye  turned,  it  was  met  by  a  ceaseless  stream  of 
missiles  shrieking  and  crashing  through  the  forest.  A  moonless 
night  descended  on  the  turmoil,  and  the  darkness  was  lighted  up 
for  miles  with  the  glare  flashing  across  the  heavens,  as  when  two 
thunder  clouds  illuminate  the  adverse  quarters  of  the  horizon 
with  sheet  lightning.  Beneath,  the  fitful  lines  of  light  danced 
amidst  the  dark  foliage,  showing  where  the  stubborn  ranks  of  in 
fantry  plied  their  deadly  work;  and  the  roar  of  the  musketry 
filled  the  intervals  of  the  mightier  din  with  its  angry  monotone  j 
while  a  fierce  yell,  from  time  to  time  told  of  some  hardly  won 
vantage  ground  gained  by  the  Confederates.  At  ten  o'clock,  the 
battle  died  away ;  for  the  Federalists  were  silently  withdrawing 
from  the  field,  under  the  friendly  veil  of  the  darkness.  Indeed, 
much  of  the  cannonade  was  doubtless  intended  to  cover  this 
retreat ;  and  no  sooner  had  it  sunk  into  silence,  than  the  rum 
bling  of  the  multitude  of  wheels  began  to  tell  that  the  artillery 
was  withdrawing  from  a  field  which  was  already  abandoned  by 
their  infantry.  The  Confederates  lay  down  upon  their  arms 
where  the  battle  had  ceased,  in  many  places  within  a  few  paces 


HIS   FIRMNESS.  473 

of  the  opposing  pickets,  and  during  the  night  they  saw  the 
lanterns  flitting  over  the  field,  where  they  were  busy  removing 
the  wounded. 

When  the  battle  had  ceased  thus,  General  Jackson  retired 
slowly  and  wearily  to  the  rear,  to  seek  some  refreshment  and 
rest.  In  the  midst  of  a  confused  multitude  of  wagons  and  strag 
glers,  his  faithful  servant  had  prepared  a  pallet  for  him  upon  the 
ground ;  and  here,  after  taking  a  morsel  of  food,  he  lay  down  and 
slept.  At  one  o'clock  his  division  commanders  awoke  him,  to 
report  the  condition  of  their  forces,  and  receive  instructions  for 
the  morrow.  None  of  them  knew,  as  yet,  those  signs  of  retreat 
and  discomfiture,  which  the  advanced  pickets  were  observing; 
they  only  knew  what  they  had  suffered  in  their  own  commands. 
Their  imaginations  were  awe-struck  by  the  sights  and  sounds  of 
the  fearful  struggle,  and  every  representation  which  they  gave 
was  gloomy.  At  length,  after  many  details  of  losses  and  disas 
ters,  they  all  concurred  in  declaring  that  M'Clellan  would  proba 
bly  take  the  aggressive  in  the  morning,  and  that  the  Confederate 
army  was  in  no  condition  to  resist  him.  Jackson  had  listened 
silently,  save  as  he  interposed  a  few  brief  questions,  to  all  their 
statements ;  but  now  he  replied,  with  an  inexpressible  dryness 
and  nonchalance :  "  No ;  I  think  he  will  clear  out  in  the  morn 
ing."  These  words  reveal  one  element  of  his  power  and  great 
ness.  Such  was  the  clearness  of  his  military  intuitions,  and  the 
soundness  of  his  judgment,  such  the  steadfastness  of  his  spirit, 
that  he  viewed  every  fact  soberly,  without  distortion  or  exagger 
ation.  His  excited  fancy  played  no  tricks  with  his  understand 
ing.  Dangers  never  loomed  into  undue  proportions  before  his 
steady  eye.  Hence,  in  .the  most  agitating  or  even  appalling  cir 
cumstances,  his  conclusions  were  still  correct.  Such  they  proved 
to  be  now;  for  when  morning  dawned  upon  the  battle-field, 
60 


474  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

M'Clellan  was  gone  indeed,  leaving  every  evidence  of  precipi 
tate  retreat. 

The  morning  dawned  with  a  dreary  and  pitiless  rain,  in  con 
trast  with  the  splendor  of  the  harvest  sun  of  the  previous  day,  as 
though  the  heavens  had  clad  themselves  in  mourning,  and  were 
weeping  a  flood  of  tears  for  the  miseries  of  the  innocent,  and  the 
crimes  of  the  guilty  aggressor.  The  woods,  which,  the  evening 
before,  were  thick  with  sulphureous  smoke,  were  now  wreathed 
in  vapor;  and  the  deep  dust  of  the  roads  trampled  into  ashes 
by  the  myriad  feet  of  men  and  horses,  was  now  as  speedily  con 
verted  into  semi-fluid  mire.  All  were  of  course  without  tents ; 
and  fatigued  and  hungry,  they  wore  an  aspect  of  squalid  discom 
fort.  The  only  activity  visible  was  the  humane  labor  of  the 
surgeons  and  their  assistants,  who  were  still  bringing  in  the 
wounded,  exhausted  by  their  sufferings  and  drenched  with  rain. 
General  Jackson,  however,  arose,  and  without  breakfast,  hurried 
to  the  front  to  watch  over  his  men.  The  air  was  too  thick  with 
mist  to  distinguish  anything  upon  the  opposite  hill ;  but  soon  the 
reports  from  his  outposts,  and  from  the  cavalry  of  Munford,  con 
vinced  him  that  the  enemy  was  gone.  He  now  issued  orders 
that  the  troops  should  form  in  the  woods  which  they  had  occu 
pied  the  day  before,  kindle  liberal  fires,  cook  their  frtod,  and 
refresh  themselves  after  their  fatigues ;  while  he  repaired  to  the 
house  of  Poindexter  to  meet  the  Commandcr-in- Chief.  General 
Stuart,  whom  the  latter  had  recalled  from  the  north  side  of  the 
Chickahominy,  had  reached  Turkey  Creek  on  the  left  of  the 
lines  of  Jackson,  just  as  the  battle  closed.  He  was  now  witness 
of  the  precipitate  retreat  of  the  enemy,  and  following  him  down 
the  river  road,  found  numerous  carriage?  fast  stuck  in  the  mire, 
or  wrecked,  with  ammunition,  clothing,  equipments  and  muskets 
strewn  broadcast  over  the  country.  He  was  informed  by  the 
country  people,  that  the  Federal  axmy  reached  the  open  fields  of 


VEXATIOUS   DELAY.  475 

Haxall's  at  morning,  without  the  semblance  of  organization,  ob 
serving  no  ranks  nor  obedience,  spreading  over  the  fields  and 
woods  at  will,  and  lying  down  to  sleep  under  the  pelting  rain. 
Instead  of  meditating  the  aggressive,  the  whole  host  would  have 
surrendered  to  the  summons  of  ten  thousand  fresh  men.  But, 
alas  !  the  Confederates  had  not  those  men  to  pursue  them.  Every 
division  of  the  army  had  been  worn  by  marching  and  fighting, 
and  a  certain  disarray  prevailed  throughout.  It  must  also  be 
declared  that  this  inability  to  reap  the  fruits  of  their  heroic  exer 
tions  arose  partly  from  that  lack  of  persistence  which  is  the 
infirmity  of  the  Southern  character.  The  army  of  Lee  was  as 
able  to  pursue,  as  that  of  M'Clellan  was  to  flee ;  and  to  the  true 
soldier,  the  zeal  to  complete  a  hardly-won  victory,  and  to  save 
his  country  by  one  successful  blow,  should  be  as  pungent  a 
motive  for  intense  exertion,  as  the  instinct  of  self-preservation 
itself.  Another  cause  of  -delay  in  the  pursuit  was  the  hesitation 
of  the  Commander-in- Chief,  who,  uninformed  as  yet  of  all  the 
signs  of  defeat  given  by  his  enemy,  and  prudently  sceptical  of 
the  extent  of  his  own  success,  was  uncertain  whether  this  was  a 
flight,  or  a  ruse  of  M'Clellan  to  draw  him  from  his  bridges  and 
from  Fort  Drewry,  in  order  that  he  might  suddenly  pass  to  the 
south  side,  now  denuded  of  defenders,  and  occupy  Petersburg  and 
Richmond  without  resistance.  The  remainder  of  July  2nd  was 
therefore  consumed  in  replenishing  the  ammunition  of  the  bat 
teries,  and  in  refreshing  the  men.  Orders  were  given  that  on 
Thursday  morning,  the  3rd,  all  the  army  should  pursue  the  enemy 
by  way  of  Turkey  Creek  and  the  river  road,  with  Longstreet  in 
front.  But  after  that  General  had  put  his  troops  in  motion,  Gen 
eral  Lee  determined  to  march  toward  Harrison's  landing,  where 
the  Federalists  were  now  assembled,  by  returning  to  the  Charles 
City  road,  and  making  his  way  thence  down  to  the  river.  His 
purpose  was  to  avoid  the  obstructions  which  they  were  reported 


476  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENEEAL  JACKSOX. 

to  have  left  behind  them  to  cover  their  rear.  The  brigades  of 
Longstreet  were  therefore  countermarched  by  Willis'  Church, 
and  Jackson  was  directed  to  give  him  the  road.  The  guides  of 
the  former  proved  incompetent  to  their  duties,  and  he  was  com 
pelled  to  halt  his  division  before  half  the  day's  march  was  com 
pleted.  Hence  General  Jackson  only  moved  three  miles  on 
Thursday.  Chafing  like  a  lion  at  the  delay,  he  moved  his  troops 
at  early  dawn  of  Friday,  and  pressing  close  upon  the  heels  of 
Longstreet,  reached  the  enemy's  front  by  the  middle  of  the  day. 

The  opportunity  was  already  almost  gone.  M'Clellan  had 
now  been  allowed  two  unmolested  days  to  select  and  fortify  his 
position,  and  to  reduce  again  the  huge  mob  which  followed  him 
to  the  form  of  an  army.  The  return  of  genial  suns,  with  rest 
and  rations,  and  the  immediate  proximity  of  their  gunboats,  were 
fast  restoring  their  spirits.  The  ground  occupied  by  them  was 
a  beautiful  peninsula,  between  the  river  James  and  a  tributary 
called  Herring  Creek,  composing  the  two  estates  of  Westover 
and  Berkeley.  The  creek,  which  enters  the  river  at  the  eastern 
extremity  of  this  peninsula,  is,  first,  a  tide  stream ;  then,  an  im 
practicable  marsh ;  and,  then,  a  mill-pond,  enlarged  by  an  artifi 
cial  embankment.  West  of  Berkeley,  another  stream  of  the  like 
character  descends  to  the  river;  so  that  the  only  access  was 
through  a  space  between  the  two  creeks,  of  no  great  extent,  and 
rapidly  closing  with  earthworks.  The  fire  of  the  gunboats,  it 
was  supposed,  might  also  assist  to  cover  this  approach,  over  the 
heads  of  their  friends. 

"The  Commander-in- Chief  was  disappointed  to  learn,  on  his 
arrival  in  front  of  the  Federalists,  that  no  opportunity  had  been 
found  for  striking  a  blow,  either  on  their  retreat,  or  in  their 
present  position.  He  immediately  rode  forward  with  General 
Jackson ;  and  the  two,  dismounting,  proceeded,  without  attend 
ants  to  make  a  careful  reconnoissance  on  foot,  of  the  enemy's 


MALVERN,  A  DRAWN  BATTLE.  477 

whole  line  and  position.  Jackson  concurred  fully  in  the  reluc 
tant  opinion  to  which  General  Lee  was  brought  by  this  exami 
nation, — that  an  attack  would  now  be  improper ;  so  that,  after 
mature  discussion,  it  was  determined  that  the  enemy  should  be 
left,  unassailed,  to  the  effects  of  the  summer  heats  and  the  mala 
ria,  which  were  now  at  hand." 

To  this  the  condition  of  his  troops  powerfully  inclined  him. 
On  Saturday,  General  Jackson  obtained  returns  of  all  his  corps 
in  front  of  the  enemy,  and  ready  for  duty ;  and  found  them  just 
ten  thousand  men,  exclusive  of  the  division  of  D.  H.  Hill,  which 
had  been  left  to  bury  the  dead  at  Malvern  Hill.  Half  his  men 
appeared,  therefore,  to  be  out  of  their  ranks,  from  death  or 
wounds,  from  the  necessary  labors  of  the  care  of  the  wounded, 
from  straggling,  and  from  the  inefficiency  of  their  inferior  officers. 
The  army  was  therefore  allowed  to  lie  quiet  in  front  of  the  ene 
my,  and  refresh  themselves  after  their  fatigues.  The  wagons  of 
the  General  also  arrived ;  and,  for  the  first  time  in  a  fortnight, 
the  Staff  enjoyed  the  luxury  of  their  tents.  These  were  now 
pitched  beside  a  beautiful  fountain,  under  the  shade  of  a  group 
of  venerable  oaks  and  chestnuts ;  and  here  the  quiet  Sabbath  was 
spent  in  religious  worship,  and  in  much-needed  repose. 

The  battle  of  Malvern  Hill  was  technically  a  victory  for  the 
Confederates,  for  they  held  the  field,  the  enemy's  killed  and 
wounded,  and  the  spoils ;  while  the  Federalists  retreated  precip 
itately  at  its  close.  But,  practically,  it  was  rather  a  drawn 
battle;  because  the  loss  inflicted  on  them  was  probably  no 
greater  than  that  of  the  assailants ;  and,  especially,  because  the 
enemy  would  have  retired  to  the  same  spot,  and  at  the  same 
time,  if  no  assault  had  been  made.  The  loss  of  Jackson's  corps 
was  three  hundred  and  seventy-seven  men  killed,  and  one  thou 
sand  seven  hundred  and  forty-six  wounded,  with  thirty-nine 
missing.  The  larger  part  of  this  bloodshed  was  in  the  division 


478  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

of  D.  H.  Hill.  The  divisions  under  command  of  General 
Magruder  lost  about  two  thousand  nine  hundred  men;  killed 
and  wounded. 

The  struggle  for  the  possession  of  the  Confederate  Capital 
was  now  closed.  The  results  of  Lee's  victories  were,  indeed, 
far  less  than  the  overweening  hopes  and  expectations  of  the 
people  j  for  Richmond  was  agitated  with  daily  rumors  that  the 
Federal  army  was  wholly  dissipated;  and,  then,  that  it  was 
about  to  surrender  in  a  body.  But,  in  the  language  of  the  Com- 
mandcr-in- Chief,  "  Regret  that  more  was  not  accomplished,  gives 
way  to  gratitude  to  the  Sovereign  Ruler  of  the  universe  for  the 
results  achieved.  The  siege  of  Richmond  was  raised ;  and  the 
object  of  a  campaign,  which  had  been  prosecuted,  after  months 
of  preparation,  at  an  enormous  expenditure  of  men  and  money, 
completely  frustrated.  More  than  ten  thousand  prisoners, 
—  including  officers  of  rank,  —  fifty-two  pieces  of  artillery,  and 
upwards  of  thirty-five  thousand  stand  of  small  arms  were  cap 
tured.  The  stores,  and  supplies  of  every  description,  which  fell 
into  our  hands,  were  great  in  amount  and  value ;  but  small  in 
comparison  with  those  destroyed  by  the  enemy.  His  losses  in 
battle  exceeded  our  own,  as  attested  by  the  thousands  of  dead 
and  wounded  left  on  every  field ;  while  his  subsequent  inaction 
shows  in  what  condition  the  survivors  reached  the  protection  to 
which  they  fled.'' 

But  yet,  the  same  exalted  authority  has  declared,  that,  «  under 
ordinary  circumstances,  the  Federal  army  should  have  been 
destroyed."  While  that  which  was  effected  is  creditable  to  the 
Confederates,  yet  the  ruin  of  the  enemy  was  within  the  scope  of 
probability ;  and  might  have  been  effected  by  them,  by  a  higher 
degree  of  skill  and  effort.  It  is  therefore  of  interest  to  the  stu 
dent  of  the  military  art,  to  learn  what  were  the  obstacles  and 
blunders  which  prevented  the  fullest  success.  Of  these,  some  were 


OBSTACLES  TO  THE  FULLEST  SUCCESS.          479 

unavoidable ;  and  among  these  latter  must  be  reckoned  a  large 
part  of  the  ignorance  concerning  the  movements  of  M'Clellao, 
and  the  proper  directions  to  be  taken  by  the  Confederates,  by 
which  General  Lee  found  himself  so  much  embarrassed.  There 
were  no  topographical  surveys  of  the  country,  and  all  the  gene 
ral  officers  were  strangers  to  it.  It  was  a  country  of  numerous 
intricate  roads,  of  marshy  streams,  and  of  forests.  Hence  every 
march  and  every  position  of  the  enemy  was  enveloped  in  myste- 
'ry,  until  it  was  disclosed  in  some  way  at  the  cost  of  the  Confed 
erates;  and  every  movement  made  by  them  in  pursuit  was  in 
some  degree  tentative. 

Among  the  unavoidable  difficulties  may,  perhaps,  be  also 
ranked  that  which  was,  directly  or  indirectly,  the  fruitful  parent 
of  every  miscarriage.  The  army  was  not  sufficiently  instructed, 
either  in  its  officers  or  its  men,  for  its  great  work.  The  capacity 
to  command,  the  practical  skill  and  tact,  the  professional  knowl 
edge,  the  devotion  to  duty,  which  make  the  efficient  officer,  do 
not  come  in  a  day ;  and  few  are  the  natures  which  are  capable 
of  learning  them  to  a  high  degree.  When  the  Confederate  Gov 
ernment  attempted  to  produce  extempore  officers  of  all  grades  for 
armies  so  great,  out  of  a  people  who  had  been  reared  in  the  pur 
suits  of  peace,  it  could  only  be  partially  successful.  The  com 
pany  and  field  officers  competent  to  instruct  and  govern  their 
men  thoroughly,  and  to  keep  them  to  their  colors  amidst  the 
confusion  of  battle  and  the  fatigues  of  forced  marches,  were  far 
too  few  for  the  regiments  to  be  commanded.  There  were  not 
enough  Brigadiers,  who  knew  how  to  manoeuvre  a  brigade 
quickly  or  vigorously;  nor  enough  Major-Generals  able  to 
handle  a  great  mass  of  troops.  Hence  that  deficiency  in  the 
functions  of  the  Staff  which  has  been  already  explained,  by 
reason  of  which  the  commander  was  ever  in  imperfect  communi 
cation  with  his  forces,  and  was  never  certain  that  his  wishes 


480  LIFE  OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

were  properly  conveyed  to  all  of  them,  or  that  lie  was  possessed 
of  their  whole  situation  when  out  of  his  sight.  Through  so 
imperfect  a  medium  perfect  unison  in  action  could  never  be 
gained,  upon  a  theatre  like  that  of  Malvern  Hill,  extended  over 
miles  of  wooded  country,  and  including  the  convergent  move 
ments  of  several  separate  armies.  It  was  from  these  causes  the 
bungling  combinations  proceeded,  upon  every  important  field  of 
this  brief  campaign.  Enough  officers  always  manoeuvred  their 
commands  so  slowly  as  to  compel  the  Commander -in-Chief  to  let 
slip  critical  hours,  and  to  wear  away  the  day  which  should  have 
been  employed  in  attacking  and  pursuing.  Thus  it  was  ever :  at 
Mechanicsvillc,  at  Cold  Harbor,  at  Savage's  Station,  at  Frazier's 
Farm,  and  especially  at  Malvern  Hill ;  the  prime  of  the  day  was 
spent  in  waiting  for  somebody,  or  in  getting  into  position ;  the 
battle,  which  should  have  been  the  business  of  that  prime,  was 
thrust  into  the  late  afternoon ;  and  when  the  bloody  victory  was 
won,  no  time  remained  to  gather  in  its  fruits  fully  by  a  vigorous 
pursuit. 

The  event  also  taught,  what  no  forecast,  perhaps,  would  have 
foreseen,  that  a  more  efficient  employment  of  the  cavalry  upon  the 
enemy's  flanks  would  have  put  the  Cominander-in- Chief  in  earlier 
possession  of  essential  information.  It  has  been  seen  that  Gen 
eral  Stuart,  after  his  return  from  the  White  House,  was  directed 
to  remain  upon  the  north  side  of  the  Chickahominy,  guarding  the 
Long  Bridge,  and  the  other  crossings  below ;  and  that  he  only 
rejoined  the  army  the  night  of  July  1st.  He  should  rather  have 
been  required  to  cross  the  Chickahominy  immediately,  and  press 
as  closely  upon  the  line  of  the  enemy's  actual  operations,  let  it 
be  where  it  might,  as  was  possible.  He  would  thus  have  equally 
fulfilled  the  purpose  of  his  stay  upon  the  north  side,  to  ascer 
tain  that  they  did  not  retire  toward  Yorktown  by  the  lower 
roads;  and  he  would  probably  have  discovered  at  once,  their 


MISTAKES   OF   THE   SEVEN   DAYS.  481 

real  movement.  It  afterward  appeared,  that  the  whole  bag 
gage  train  of  M'C.lellan,  with  numerous  stragglers,  passed  nearly 
to  Charles  City  Court  House,  by  a  road  parallel  to  the  Chicka- 
horniny  and  only  a  few  miles  distant  from  it,  on  the  29th  of 
June.  Had  this  fact  been  reported  to  General  Lee  by  the  first 
of  July,  it  might  have  thrown  a  flood  of  new  light  upon  the 
momentous  question,  which  he  was  required  that  day  to  decide : 
must  M'Clellan  be  attacked  in  his  almost  impregnable  position 
or  not  ?  It  was  known  that  he  was  assembling  all  the  corps  of 
his  army  at  Malvern  Hill;  that  his  gunboats  had  ascended 
thither ;  that  he  was  beginning  to  entrench  himself  there.  Was 
it  his  purpose  to  convert  this  spot  into  a  permanent  entrenched 
camp,  to  defend  it  from  all  such  assaults  as  he  had  just  experienced 
on  the  Chickahominy,  by  his  engineering  skill ;  to  provision  it 
from  his  ships,  and  thus  to  establish  himself  again  within  fifteen 
miles  of  Richmond,  upon  a  base  which  General  Lee's  wisdom 
taught  him  to  be  a  better  one  than  that  which  he  had  lost  ? 
If  this  was  his  design,  then  it  was  imperative  that  he  should  be 
dislodged ;  and  the  more  speedily  it  was  attempted,  the  less 
patriot  blood  would  it  cost.  For  if  he  were  permitted  to  fix 
himself  here,  all  the  toil  and  loss  of  the  glorious  week  would  be 
vain.  But  now,  add  the  fact  that  M'Clellan  had  sent  all  his 
trains  to  another  spot,  and  that  he  stood  upon  Malvern  Hill 
with  nothing  but  his  ammunition,  and  the  supplies  of  a  day ;  and 
it  became  probable  that  he  would  retreat  from  this  place,  whether 
he  were  attacked  or  not ;  that  he  would  retreat  whither  his  trains 
had  preceded  him,  and  that  he  was  only  standing  at  bay  for  a 
short  time,  to  secure  the  privilege  of  that  retreat.  The  ques 
tion  thus  assumed  a  new  aspect,  whether  it  were  better  to  assail 
him  on  his  chosen  ground,  at  such  a  cost  of  blood,  or  to  wait  for 
a  fairer  opportunity  as  he  withdrew. 

If  it  were  granted  that  M'Clellan  ought  to  have  been  attacked 

61 


4:82  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.-GENEEAL   JACKSON. 

at  once,  on  his  own  ground;  much  yet  remains  in  the  manage 
ment  of  the  battle  on  the  Confederate  side,  which,  though 
excused,  cannot  be  justified.  The  attack  was  made  in  detail, 
first  at  one  point,  and  then  at  another,  instead  of  being  simulta 
neous.  Had  the  corps  of  Jackson  and  Magruder  charged  simul 
taneously,  with  the  devoted  gallantry  which  a  part  of  each 
exhibited,  the  Federal  lines  would  doubtless  have  given  way,  and 
a  glorious  success  would  have  rewarded  the  Confederates,  with 
out  any  greater  expenditure  of  blood  than  they  actually  incurred. 
But  it  is  worthy  of  question  whether  M'Clellan's  advantage  of 
position  could  not  have  been  neutralized.  Malvern  Hill  is  upon 
the  convexity  of  a  sharp  curve  in  the  river  James,  which  just 
below  that  neighborhood,  flows  away  toward  the  south,  while 
the  river  road  pursues  still  an  easterly  course.  If  M'Clellan 
moved  eastward,  he  must  either  forsake  the  coveted  help  of  his 
gunboats,  or,  to  continue  near  the  water,  he  must  leave  the  high 
lands,  and  descend  to  a  level  region  commanded  from  the 
interior.  These  facts  seemed  to  point  to  the  policy  of  extending 
the  Confederate  left,  until  his  egress  by  the  river  road  was  so 
violently  threatened  as  to  compel  him  to  weaken  his  impregnable 
front.  The  great  body  of  forest,  which  confronted  his  centre, 
might  have  been  safely  left  to  the  guardianship  of  a  skirmish 
line;  for  their  weakness  would  have  been  concealed  by  the 
woods,  and  the  enemy  was,  on  that  day,  in  no  aggressive  mood. 
A  powerful  mass  of  artillery  and  infantry  displayed  beyond  their 
extreme  right,  would  probably  have  produced  the  happiest  effects. 
Last,  the  tardy  and  indirect  pursuit  which  followed  the  battle, 
was  the  least  excusable  blunder  of  all.  The  two  days  which 
were  allowed  to  M'Clellan  proved  the  salvation  of  his  army. 
But  what  arc  all  these  criticisms  more  than  an  assertion  in 
different  form,  of  the  truths  that  all  man's  works  are  imperfect, 
and'  that  every  art  must  be  learned  before  it  is  practised? 


FIRE   OF   THE   GUNBOATS.  483 

When  it  is  remembered  that  the  South  had  very  few  professional 
soldiers,  that  the  men  who  formed  the  victorious  army  of  Lee 
were,  the  year  before,  a  peaceful  multitude  occupied,  since  their 
childhood,  in  the  pursuits  of  husbandry,  and  that  half  the  brigades 
into  which  they  were  organized  had  never  been  under  fire  before 
the  beginning  of  the  bloody  week,  the  only  wonder  will  be  that 
the  confusion  was  not  worse,  and  that  the  failures  were  not 
greater.  That  so  much  was  accomplished  is  proof  of  the 
eminent  courage  of  the  people,  and  their  native  aptitude  for  war. 
It  is  a  fact  worthy  of  note  in  this  narrative,  that  the  fire  of 
the  gunboats,  so  much  valued  by  the  Federals  and  at  first  so 
dreaded  by  the  Confederates,  had  no  actual  influence  whatever 
in  the  battle.  Their  noise  and  fury  doubtless  produced  a  cer 
tain  effect  upon  the  emotions  of  the  assailants;  but  this  was 
dependent  on  their  novelty.  The  loss  inflicted  by  them  was 
trivial  when  compared  with  the  ravages  of  the  field  artillery, 
and  it  was  found  chiefly  among  their  own  friends.  For  more  of 
their  ponderous  missiles  fell  in  their  own  lines,  than  in  those  of 
the  Confederates.  Indeed,  a  fire  directed  at  an  invisible  foe, 
across  two  or  three  miles  of  intervening  hills  and  woods,  can 
never  reach  its  aim,  save  by  accident.  Nor  is  the  havoc 
wrought  by  the  larger  projectiles  proportioned  to  their  magni 
tude.  Where  one  of  them  explodes  against  a  human  body,  it 
does  indeed  crush  it  into  a  frightful  mass,  scarcely  cognizable  as 
human  remains.  But  it  is  not  likely  to  strike  more  men,  in  the 
open  order  of  field  operations,  than  a  shot  of  ten  pounds ;  and 
the  wretch,  blown  to  atoms  by  it,  is  not  put  hors  du  combat  more 
effectually,  than  he  whose  brain  is  penetrated  by  half  an  ounce 
of  lead  or  iron.  The  broadside  of  a  modern  gunboat  may  con 
sist  of  three  hundred  pounds  of  iron,  projected  by  thirty  or  forty 
pounds  of  powder.  But  it  is  fired  from  only  two  guns.  The 
effect  upon  a  line  of  men  is  therefore  but  one  fifteenth  of  that 


484  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSON. 

which  the  same  metal  might  have  had,  fired  from  thirty  ten- 
pounder  rifled  guns. 

In  conclusion,  a  statement  of  the  numbers  composing  the  two 
armies  in  this  great  struggle,  is  necessary  to  estimate  its  merits. 
Under  the  orders  of  General  Lee  there  were,  at  its  beginning, 
about  seventy-five  thousand  effective  men,  including  the  corps 
brought  to  his  aid  by  General  Jackson.  H'Clellan  confidently 
represented  the  numbers  opposed  to  him  as  much  larger  than 
his  own;  but  the  habitual  exaggerations  of  his  apprehensive 
temper  were  patent,  even  to  his  own  Government.  He  states 
that  his  own  force  was  reduced  to  eighty  thousand  effective 
men.  It  must  be  remembered  that  during  the  campaign  before 
Richmond,  the  motives  of  M'Clellan's  policy  dictated  a  studied 
depreciation  of  his  own  numbers.  In  the  returns  given  by 
himself  in  another  place,  his  effective  force  present  for  duty  is 
set  down  at  one  hundred  and  six  thousand  men,  inclusive  of  the 
garrison  of  Fortress  Monroe  under  General  Dix.  Halleck  de 
clared,  in  his  letter  of  Aug.  6th,  that  M'Clellan  still  had  ninety 
thousand  men  at  Berkeley,  after  all  his  losses  !  These  M'Clellan 
had  estimated  at  fifteen  thousand,  how  truthfully  may  be  known 
from  this :  that  he  places  the  men  lost  by  desertion  and  capture 
under  six  thousand,  whereas  the  Confederates  had  in  their  hands 
more  than  ten  thousand  prisoners ;  and  the  woods  of  the  penin 
sula  were  swarming  with  stragglers.  Whatever  may  have  bee* 
his  numerical  superiority,  it  is  indisputable  that  every  advantage 
of  equipments,  arms,  and  artillery  was  on  his  side. 

But  the  arrival  of  General  Jackson  brought  a  strength  to  the 
Confederates  beyond  that  of  his  numbers.  His  fame  as  a  war 
rior  had  just  risen  to  the  zenith ;  while  all  the  other  armies  of 
the  Confederacy  had  been  retreating  before  the  enemy,  or  at 
best  holding  the  defensive  with  difficulty,  his  alone  had  marched, 
and  attacked,  and  conquered.  A  disaster  had  never  alighted  on 


EFFECT   OF   HIS  PRESENCE  WITH  THE  ARMY.  485 

his  banners.  His  assault  was  regarded  by  friends  and  foes  as 
the  stroke  of  doom,  and  his  presence  gave  assurance  of  victory. 
Hence,  when  the  army  before  Richmond  learned  that  he  was 
with  them,  they  were  filled  with  unbounded  joy  and  confidence, 
while  their  enemies  were  struck  with  a  corresponding  panic. 


486  LIFE    OP    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 


CHAPTER    XV. 

CEDAR  RUN. 

WHILE  the  army  lay  near  Westover,  resting  from  its  toils, 
General  Jackson  called  his  friend,  the  Honorable  Mr.  Boteler, 
to  his  tent,  to  communicate  his  views  of  the  future  conduct  of 
the  war,  and  to  beg  that  on  his  next  visit  to  Richmond,  he  would 
impress  them  upon  the  Government.  He  said  that  it  was  mani 
fest  by  every  sign,  that  M'Clellan's  was  a  thoroughly  beaten 
army,  and  was  no  longer  capable  of  anything,  until  it  was  re 
organized  and  reinforced.  There  was  danger,  he  foresaw,  of 
repeating  the  error  of  Manassa's  Junction ;  when  the  season  of 
victory  was  let  slip  by  an  ill-timed  inaction,  and  the  enemy  was 
allowed  full  leisure  to  repair  his  strength.  Now,  since  it  was 
determined  not  to  attempt  the  destruction  of  M'Clellan  where  he 
lay,  the  Confederate  army  should  at  once  leave  the  malarious 
district,  move  northward,  and  carry  the  horrors  of  invasion  from 
their  own  borders,  to  those  of  the  guilty  assailants.  This,  he 
said,  was  the  way  to  bring  them  to  their  senses,  and  to  end  the 
war.  And  it  was  within  the  power  of  the  Confederate  Govern 
ment  to  make  a  successful  invasion,  if  their  resources  were 
rightly  concentrated.  Sixty  thousand  men  could  march  into 
Maryland,  and  threaten  Washington  City,  producing  most  valua 
ble  results.  But,  he  added ;  while  he  wished  these  views  to  be 
laid  before  the  President,  he  would  disclaim  earnestly  the  charge 
of  self-seeking,  in  advocating  them.  He  wished  to  follow,  and 


ENEMY  CONCENTRATED  UNDER  GENERAL  POPE.      487 

not  to  lead,  in  this  glorious  enterprise :  he  was  willing  to  follow 
anybody ;  General  Lee,  or  the  gallant  Ewell.  "  Why  do  you 
not  at  once  urge  these  things,"  asked  Mr.  Boteler,  "  upon  Gen 
eral  Lee  himself?"  "I  have  done  so;"  replied  Jackson.  "And 
whai,"  asked  Mr.  Boteler,  "  does  he  say  to  them ? "  Gen 
eral  Jackson  answered :  "  He  says  nothing."  But  he  added ; 
"Do  not  understand  that  I  complain  of  this  silence ;  it  is  proper 
that  General  Lee  should  observe  it :  He  is  a  sagacious  and 
prudent  man ;  he  feels  that  he  bears  a  fearful  responsibility : 
He  is  right  in  declining  a  hasty  expression  of  his  purposes,  to  a 
subordinate  like  me."  The  advice  of  Jackson  was  laid  before 
the  President.  What  weight  was  attached  to  it,  is  unknown ; 
but  the  campaign  soon  after  took  the  direction  which  he  had 
indicated. 

He  was  extremely  anxious  to  leave  the  unhealthy  region  of 
the  lower  James,  where  his  own  health,  with  that  of  his  com 
mand,  was  suffering,  and  to  return  to  the  upper  country.  He 
longed  for  its  pure  breezes,  its  sparkling  waters,  and  a  sight  of 
its  familiar  mountains.  Events  had  already  occurred,  which 
procured  the  speedy  gratification  of  his  wish.  After  the  defeat 
of  Fremont  and  Shields,  the  Washington  Government  united  the 
corps  of  these  Generals,  of  Banks,  and  of  McDowell  into  one 
body,  under  the  name  of  the  "Army  of  Virginia."  These  parts 
made  an  aggregate  of  fifty  or  sixty  thousand  men,  who  were  now 
sent,  under  Major-General  John  Pope,  upon  the  mission  of 
making  a  demonstration  against  Richmond  by  the  Orange  and 
Alexandria  Railroad,  and  thus  effecting  a  diversion  which  would 
deliver  M'Clellan  from  his  duress.  The  former  was  directed 
to  seize  Gordonsville,  the  point  at  which  the  Orange  and  Central 
Railroads  cross  each  other,  and  thus  to  separate  Richmond  from 
the  interior.  General  Pope,  who  was  supposed  to  have  distin 
guished  himself  at  New  Madrid,  on  the  Mississippi,  was  chiefly 


488  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

noted  for  his  claim  of  ten  thousand  prisoners  captured  from 
General  Beauregard  in  his  retreat  from  Corinth,  where  the 
former  commanded  the  advance  of  the  Federalists  (a  boast 
which  was  reduced,  by  the  truthful  statement  of  the  Confederate 
General,  to  one  hundred).  He  was  the  most  boastful,  the  most 
brutal,  and  the  most  unlucky  of  the  Federal  leaders  who  had  yet 
appeared  in  Virginia.  In  a  general  order  issued  to  his  troops, 
he  ostentatiously  announced  his  purpose,  to  conduct  the  war 
upon  new  principles.  "  He  had  heard  much,"  he  said,  "  of  lines 
of  communication,  and  lines  of  retreat.  The  only  line  a  general 
should  know  anything  of,  in  his  opinion,  was  the  line  of  his 
enemy's  retreat."  He  declared  also,  that  hitherto  he  had  never 
been  able  to  see  anything  of  his  enemies  but  their  backs  j  and 
announced,  that  during  his  campaign,  the  head-quarters  should  be 
in  the  saddle.  So  coarse  a  braggart  was  sure  to  be  in  sympathy 
with  the  race  for  which  he  promised  to  fight,  and  they  did  not 
need  to  wait  for  any  deeds  actually  accomplished  to  proclaim 
him  "the  coming  man"  of  his  day.  The  reader  may  easily 
imagine  the  quiet  smile  with  which  Jackson  would  hear  these 
biiallow  threats  of  his  antagonist,  and  the  silence  with  which  he 
accepted  them  as  auguries  of  a  certain  victory.  General  Pope's 
method  of  dealing  with  the  people  of  Virginia  was  to  be  as 
novel  as  his  strategy.  He  deliberately  announced  his  purpose 
to  subsist  his  troops  on  the  country,  and  authorized  an  indis 
criminate  plunder  of  the  inhabitants.  His  army  was  let  loose 
upon  them,  and  proceeded  like  a  horde  of  brigands,  through  the 
rich  counties  of  Fauquier  and  Culpepper,  stripping  the  people 
of  food,  live  stock,  horses,  and  poultry,  and  wantonly  destroying 
what  they  could  not  use.  Their  General  also  ordained,  that  all 
the  citizens  within  his  lines  must  perjure  themselves  by  taking 
an  oath  of  allegiance  to  Lincoln,  or  be  banished  South,  to  return 
no  more,  under  the  penalty  of  being  executed  as  spies. 


HE  MARCHES  TO  GORDOXSVILLE.  489 

Jackson  was  now  moved  toward  Gordonsville,  to  meet  this 
doughty  warrior,  who,  as  he  left  Alexandria  to  assume  command 
of  his  army  at  Manassa's  Junction,  celebrated  the  triumphs  to 
be  achieved,  before  they  were  won,  with  banners  and  laurels. 
The  corps  returned  from  Westover  to  the  neigborhood  of 
Richmond,  the  10th  of  July.  There  the/  remained  until  the 
1 7th,  preparing  for  their  march ;  and  it  was  during  this  respite 
that  General  Jackson  first  made  his  appearance  openly,  in  the 
city  which  he  had  clone  so  much  to  deliver.  He  gives  the  follow 
ing  account  of  it  in  a  letter  to  his  wife. 

"  RICHMOND,  July  14th. 

"Yesterday  I  heard  Doctor  M.  D.  Hoge  preach  in  his  church, 
and  also  in  the  camp  of  the  Stonewall  Brigade.  It  is  a  great 
comfort  to  have  the  privilege  of  spending  a  quiet  Sabbath, 
within  the  walls  of  a  house  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God. 
....  People  are  very  kind  to  me.  How  God,  our  God,  does 
shower  blessings  upon  me,  an  unworthy  sinner ! " 

The  manner  of  his  entrance  was  this.  He  came  to  the  church 
without  attendants ;  and  just  after  the  congregation  was  assem 
bled,  they  saw  an  officer  who  was  manifestly  a  stranger,  in  a 
faded  and  sunburned  uniform,  enter  quietly,  and  take  his  seat 
near  the  door.  The  immediate  commencement  of  the  worship 
forbade  any  notice  or  inquiry ;  they  could  only  observe  that  he 
gave  a  devout  and  fixed  attention  to  the  services.  When  they 
were  concluded,  it  began  to  be  whispered  that  he  was  General 
Jackson;  but  he  scarcely  gave  them  time  to  turn  their  eyes 
upon  him,  before  he  was  gone,  after  modestly  greeting  one  or 
two  acquaintances.  After  visiting  a  mother,  whose  son  had 
fallen  in  his  command,  he  returned  to  his  tent. 

On  the  19th  of  July,  he  reached  Gordonsville  with  his  corps, 
and  took  quarters  in  the  hospitable  house  of  Eeverend  D.  B. 

62 


490  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Ewing,  where  he  had  before  found  a  pleasant  resting  place, 
when  passing  through  the  village.  He  appeared  jaded  by  his 
excessive  labors,  and  positively  unwell ;  and  said  that  he  had 
not  suffered  so  much,  since  his  return  from  Mexico.  But  the 
rest,  the  mountain  breezes;  and  the  fresh  fruits  in  which  he  so 
much  delighted,  speedily  restored  the  vigor  of  his  frame.  He 
loved  to  refresh  himself  here,  after  the  labors  of  the  day  were 
finished,  with  the  social  converse  of  the  amiable  family  which 
surrounded  Mr.  Ewing's  board,  and  with  the  prattle  of  his  chil 
dren.  One  of  these,  while  sitting  upon  his  knee,  was  captivated 
with  the  bright  military  buttons  upon  his  coat,  and  petitioned 
that  when  the  garment  was  worn  out,  he  should  give  her  one  as 
a  keepsake.  This  he  promised  j  and  months  afterward,  amidst 
all  his  weighty  cares,  he  remembered  to  send  her  the  gift ;  which 
she  ever  after  hoarded  among  her  treasures.  It  was  his  greatest 
pleasure  to  share  the  family  prayers  of  this  Christian  house 
hold,  and  he  did  not  refuse  to  take  his  turn  in  conducting  them. 
His  host  remarks  of  these  services  :  "  There  was  something  very 
striking  in  his  prayers — he  did  not  pray  to  men,  but  to  God. 
His  tones  were  deep,  solemn,  tremulous.  He  seemed  to  realize 
that  he  was  speaking  to  Heaven's  King.  I  never  heard  any 
one  pray,  who  seemed  to  be  pervaded  more  fully  by  a  spirit  of 
utter  self-abnegation.  He  seemed  to  feel  more  than  any  man 
I  ever  knew,  the  danger  of  robbing  God  of  the  glory  due  for 
our  success."  Although  he  was  incapable  of  making  an  osten 
tatious  display  of  himself,  and  would  never  permit  the  interrup 
tion  of  business  by  society,  yet  when  time  sufficed  for  social 
enjoyments,  he  was  easily  approached  by  all  who  sought  to  know 
him,  and  was  careful  to  contribute  to  their  entertainment  by 
bearing  a  modest  part  in  conversation. 

After  a  few  days  spent  near  Gordonsville,  he  retired  south 
ward  a  few  miles  into  the  county  of  Louisa,  whose  fertile  fields 


HE  RESOLVES  TO  ATTACK  POPE.  491 

offered  abundant  pasturage  for  his  jaded  animals.  Here  lie 
devoted  himself  to  reorganizing  his  command,  and  recruiting  his 
artillery  horses,  for  the  approaching  service.  It  was  at  this  time 
that  he  complained,  in  his  letters  to  his  wife,  of  being  overbur- 
thencd  with  cares  and  labors :  but  he  chided  himself  by  referring 
to  the  Apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  who  "  gloried  in  tribulation,"  and 
declared  that  it  was  not  like  a  Christian  to  murmur  at  any  toil 
for  his  Redeemer. 

Learning  that  Pope  was  advancing  toward  the  Rapid  Ann 
River  in  great  force,  he  called  upon  General  Lee  for  reinforce 
ments  ;  and  the  division  of  General  A.  P.  Hill  was  sent  to  join 
him.  This  fine  body  of  troops  continued  henceforth  to  be  a  part 
of  his  corps.  On  the  2nd  of  August,  the  Federal  cavalry  occu 
pied  the  village  at  Orange  Court  House,  when  Colonel  William 
E.  Jones,  the  comrade  of  Jackson  at  West  Point,  commanding 
the  7th  Virginia  cavalry,  attacked  them  in  front  and  flank  while 
crowded  into  the  narrow  street,  and  repulsed  them  with  loss. 
They,  however,  speedily  perceiving  the  scanty  numbers  of  their 
assailants,  returned  to  the  charge ;  and  threatening  to  envelop 
Jones,  forced  him  back  in  turn.  But  he  retired  skirmishing  with 
so  much  stubbornness,  that  they  pursued  him  a  very  short 
distance,  when  they  withdrew  across  the  river.  This  affair 
occurred  ten  miles  north  of  Gordonsville.  Pope's  infantry 
paused  in  the  county  of  Culpepper,  which  lies  over  against 
Orange,  across  the  Rapid  Ann.  He  indiscreetly  extended  his 
army  a  few  miles  in  rear  of  that  stream,  upon  a  very  wide  front, 
while  some  of  the  troops  designed  to  serve  under  his  orders 
were  still  at  Fredericksburg,  two  marches  below.  This  was  an 
opportunity  which  the  enterprise  and  sagacity  of  Jackson  were 
certain  to  seize.  He  knew  that  the  army  of  Lee,  still  detained 
to  watch  M'Clellan  upon  the  lower  James,  could  not  come  to  his 
support  before  that  of  Pope  would  be  assembled.  The  mass  of 


492  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

the  latter  would  then  be  irresistible  by  his  little  army;  and 
there  was  reason  to  fear  that  Gordonsville  would  be  lost,  the 
railroad  occupied,  and  a  disastrous  progress  made  by  Pope 
before  he  could  be  arrested.  He  therefore  determined  to  strike 
his  centre  immediately  at  Culpepper  Court  House,  and  to  cripple 
him  so  that  he  would  be  unable  to  advance,  before  other  disposi 
tions  could  be  made  for  resisting  him.  Another  powerful  reason 
dictated  an  attack.  Jackson's  soldierly  eye  had  shown  him  that 
the  line  of  the  Rapid  Ann  was  the  proper  one  to  be  held  by  a 
defensive  army  guarding  the  communications  at  Gordonsville,  and 
the  centre  of  Virginia;  for  the  commanding  heights  of  the 
southern  bank  everywhere  dominated  over  the  level  plains  of 
the  Culpepper  border.  This  judgment  was  afterward  confirmed 
by  the  high  authority  of  General  Lee,  who  selected  that  line 
for  defence  against  Generals  Meade  and  Grant;  and,  by  its 
strength,  baffled  every  attempt  to  force  it  in  front.  Pope,  then, 
must  not  be  permitted  to  occupy  it ;  but  it  suited  the  temper  of 
General  Jackson  to  prevent  it  by  an  aggressive  blow,  rather 
than  by  a  dangerous  extension  of  his  inadequate  force  upon  it. 
Hence,  on  the  7th  of  August,  he  gave  orders  to  his  three  divis 
ions  to  move  toward  Culpepper,  and  to  encamp  on  that  night 
near  Orange  Court  House. 

It  was  on  this  occasion  that  the  striking  witness  was  borne  by 
his  African  servant,  Jim,  to  his  devout  habits,  which  was  so 
currently  (and  correctly)  related.  Some  gentlemen  were  inquir 
ing  whether  he  knew  when  a  battle  was  about  to  occur.  "  Oh, 
yes,  Sir,"  he  replied:  " The  General  is  a  great  man  for  praying; 
night  and  morning  —  all  times.  But  when  I  see  him  get  up  sev 
eral  times  in  the  night  besides,  to  go  off  and  pray,  then  I  know 
there  is  going  to  be  something  to  pay ;  and  I  go  straight  and 
pack  his  haversack,  because  I  know  he  will  call  for  it  in  the 
morning." 


TOPOGRAPHY   OF   CEDAR  RUN.  493 

August  8th,  the  division  of  Ewell,  which  led  the  way,  bearing 
off  to  the  nortiwest,  crossed  the  Rapid  Ann  at  the  Liberty  Mills, 
as  though  to  attack  the  extreme  right  of  Pope.  Tho  other 
divisions  crossed  at  Barnett's  Ford,  below ;  and  Ewell,  turning  to 
the  east,  returned  to  their  line  of  march,  and  bore  toward 
Slaughter's  Mountain.  The  division  of  A.  P.  Hill,  delayed  by  the 
trains  which  followed  the  preceding  troops,  and  by  a  misconcep 
tion  of  orders,  did  not  cross  the  river  until  the  morning  of  the 
9th.  This  derangement  of  the  march  arrested  General  Jackson 
many  miles  from  Culpepper  Court  House,  and  he  reluctantly 
postponed  his  attack  to  the  next  day.  On  the  morning  of 
August  9th,  having  ascertained  that  A.  P.  Hill  was  now  within 
supporting  distance,  he  moved  early ;  and,  with  his  cavalry  in 
front,  pressed  toward  the  Court  House.  About  eight  miles  from 
that  place,  the  advance  reported  the  enemy's  cavalry  before 
them,  guarding  the  roads,  and  manoeuvring  in  a  manner  which 
indicated  a  force  behind  them;  and,  a  little  after,  the  line  of 
horse  was  discovered  upon  a  distant  ridge,  drawn  up  as  if  for 
battle.  A  few  cannon  shot  from  a  rifled  gun  dislodged  them ;  but 
speedily  the  fire  was  returned  by  the  Federal  artillery  from  a 
distant  position,  and  the  line  of  cavalry  re-appeared.  General 
Jackson,  convinced  that  he  had  a  strong  body  of  the  enemy  in 
his  front,  now  made  his  dispositions  for  battle,  a  little  after  the 
middle  of  the  day. 

His  army  had  by  this  time  fallen  into  the  main  road,  leading 
northeastward  to  Culpepper  Court  House ;  and  to  this  quarter 
his  front  was  directed  during  the  remainder  of  the  day.  The 
neighborhood  around  him  was  a  region  of  pleasant  farms,  of 
hills  and  dales,  and  of  forests  interspersed.  But  parallel  with 
the  road  which  he  was  pursuing  distant  about  a  mile  on  his 
right,  was  an  insulated  ridge,  rising  to  the  dignity  of  a  mountain, 
running  perfectly  straight  from  southwest  to  northeast,  and 


494  LIFE  OP  LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

dropping  into  the  plain  as  suddenly  as  it  arose.  This  is  called 
by  the  country-people,  Slaughter's  Mountain.  The  fields  next  its 
base  are  smoother  and  more  akin  to  meadows  than  those  along 
the  highway  at  the  distance  of  a  mile.  Across  the  northeastern 
end  of  the  ridge,  flow  the  rivulets  which  form,  by  their  union, 
Cedar  Run,  and  make  their  way  thence  to  the  Rapid  Ann.  Gen 
eral  Early's  brigade  of  Swell's  division,  which  held  the  front, 
was  ordered  to  advance  along  the  great  road  and  develop  the 
position  of  the  enemy,  supported  by  the  division  of  Jackson, 
commanded  by  Brigadier- General  Winder.  The  remainder  of 
Swell's  division,  consisting  of  the  brigades  of  Trimble  and  Hays, 
(lately  Taylor's)  diverged  to  the  right,  and  skirting  the  base  of 
Slaughter's  Mountain,  by  an  obscure  pathway,  at  length  reached 
the  northeast  end,  whence,  from  an  open  field  elevated  several 
hundred  feet  above  the  plain,  they  saw  the  whole  scene  of  action 
unfolded  beneath  them.  The  battery  of  Lattimer,  with  half  that 
of  Johnson,  was  drawn  up  to  this  promontory,  and  skilfully  posted, 
so  as  to  cover  with  its  fire  the  whole  front  of  the  Confederate 
right  and  centre.  It  was  to  the  promptitude  with  which  General 
Jackson  seized  this  point,  and  the  adroitness  with  which  he  em 
ployed  its  advantages,  that  he  was  chiefly  indebted,  in  connec 
tion  with  the  bravery  of  his  troops,  for  his  victory.  The  guns 
of  Lattimer  and  Johnson,  in  consequence  of  the  elevation  of 
their  position,  commanded  a  wide  range  of  the  country  below, 
and  were  themselves  secure  from  the  fire  of  the  enemy.  Every 
shot  aimed  at  them  fell  short,  and  buried  itself,  without  ricochet, 
in  the  hill-side  beneath  them;  while  their  gunners,  in  perfect 
security,  and  in  a  clear  atmosphere  above  the  smoke  of  the 
battle-field,  played  upon  the  enemy  with  all  the  deliberation  and 
skill  of  target  practice.  Thus  the  level  and  open  fields  next  the 
mountain,  which  otherwise  were  most  favorable  to  the  display 
of  the  Federalists'  superior  numbers,  were  effectually  barred 


BATTLE   OP    CEDAR   RUN. 


/'(     \f~r-     I  L^y-'  )  i       yi.j  ^.   !      s    >1     ^ 

y  *r>?^^cy  v*-sQ*x  C ;  C-  j 


^cji»^/ff^  ^S^^f^ 

0  ^\  ft-«ll- II  v  lC/!4^^VOo^c^<^o,-^^  P 

^P^^>W^^S^^$S® 


BATTLE    OF    CEDAK    BUN. 


496  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

from  tlieir  approach ;  or,  if  they  braved  the  fire  of  the  mountain- 
battery,  the  two  brigades  of  Ewell  lay  hid  in  the  dense  pine 
thickets  which  clothed  the  side  of  the  ridge,  ready  to  pour  upon 
their  flank  a  crushing  fire  from  superior  ground.  These  disposi 
tions  at  once  decided  the  security  of  Jackson's  right  wing  for 
the  whole  day.  He  placed  no  troops  in  the  meadows  next  the 
mountain-base;  for  on  this  ground  the  artillery  of  the  enemy 
could  play  with  best  effect.  But  though  this  marked  hiatus  in 
his  line  seemed  to  invite  attack,  none  was  seriously  attempted ; 
the  disadvantage  imposed  upon  the  assailants  revealed  itself  to 
them  so  powerfully,  at  their  first  approach,  that  they  observed 
the  deadly  trap  afterward  with  respectful  avoidance. 

Before  these  dispositions  upon  the  right  were  completed,  Gen 
eral  Early  had  become  engaged  with  the  enemy.  Throwing  his 
brigade  into  line  of  battle  across  the  road,  he  advanced  obliquely 
to  the  right,  scouring  the  woods  before  him  with  his  skirmishers 
and  driving  back  the  observing  force  of  cavalry.  A  march  of  a 
half-mile  brought  him  to  the  top  of  a  gentle  hill  where  the  road 
emerged  from  the  forest,  and  ran  forward  for  a  third  of  a  mile 
farther,  between  the  wood  and  a  large  pasture  field  of  undulating 
ground.  In  other  words,  the  open  ground  here  cut  into  the 
forest  by  an  angle,  so  that  the  traveller  advancing  thenceforward 
had  the  field  upon  his  right,  and  the  wood  upon  his  left,  for  that 
distance.  There  the  wood  terminated,  upon  the  brow  of  a  hil 
lock  overlooking  the  rivulet ;  and  there  were  open  fields  upon 
both  sides  of  the  highway.  That  on  the  right  was  covered,  for  a 
great  extent,  with  a  tall  growth  of  Indian  corn  in  all  its  summer 
glory.  That  on  the  left  was  a  stubble  field  of  narrow  extent, 
with  wheat  in  the  shock  ;  and  still  farther  to  the  left  of  this,  was 
another  piece  of  ground  of  about  equal  size,  which  had  been 
denuded  of  its  timber,  but  was  now  densely  overgrown  with 
brushwood  of  the  height  of  a  man's  shoulders.  The  stubble 


EARLY'S  DISPOSITIONS.  497 

field  and  the  clearing,  together,  constituted  in  fact  but  a  species 
of  bay,  penetrating  the  surrounding  forests  to  the  left  of  the  main 
road;  for  on  their  farther  side  the  woods  commenced  again. 
The  cornfield,  the  stubble  field,  the  brushwood,  and  the  angle  of 
forest  on  the  Confederate  side,  were  destined  to  be  the  Aceldama. 
By  the  time  General  Early  had  reached  the  rear  angle  of  the 
great  pasture  field  just  described,  his  whole  line  was,  in  conse 
quence  of  his  oblique  advance,  on  the  left  of  the  road,  and  was 
soon,  by  his  farther  advance,  separated  from  it  by  a  considerable 
space.  Sweeping  the  Federal  skirmishers  before  him,  he  pushed 
his  line,  in  perfect  order,  to  the  front  of  the  declivity  which  de 
scended  to  the  rivulet  and  the  Indian  corn.  Several  batteries  on 
his  right  and  in  front  were  now  opened  on  him,  and  the  wheat- 
field  on  the  left  of  the  highway  was  observed  full  of  squadrons 
of  cavalry.  Withdrawing  his  men  into  a  slight  depression  behind 
the  foremost  crest  of  the  hill,  he  obtained  partial  shelter  from 
the  enemy's  artillery,  and  brought  up  four  guns  from,  the  bat 
teries  of  Captains  Brown  and  Dement,  to  a  favorable  position 
upon  his  right,  whence  they  engaged  the  opposing  batteries  with 
great  credit.  But  no  line  of  infantry  was  yet  visible  before  him; 
for  it  was  masked  in  the  thick  corn. 

The  division  of  Winder  had  now  arrived,  and  its  commander 
was  posting  several  of  its  best  batteries  in  echelon  along  the 
road  in  the  rear  of  Early's  left,  whence  they  delivered  a  most 
effective  oblique  fire  toward  the  right  and  front.  The  second 
brigade  of  the  division  was  advanced  on  the  left  of  the  road,  to 
the  further  edge  of  the  wood,  presenting  a  convex  line  toward 
the  cornfield  and  the  stubble  field ;  the  third  brigade  was  left  in 
column  parallel  to  the  road  and  in  rear  of  their  artillery :  and 
the  first,  or  Stonewall  Brigade,  was  disposed  as  a  reserve  to  sup 
port  the  left.  A  rapid  and  continuous  thunder  of  artillery  now 
began  on  both  sides,  which  was  prolonged  for  two  hours.  Distant 

63 


498  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

spectators  perceived  that  the  aim  of  the  Confederates  was 
much  more  accurate  than  that  of  the  enemy.  While  the  shells 
of  the  latter  mostly  exploded  high  in  the  air  and  above  the  tree- 
tops,  those  of  the  former  were  seen  ploughing  the  ground  among  the 
guns  of  their  adversaries,  and  throwing  the  dust,  with  their  iron 
hail,  in  their  midst.  .But  one  fated  shot  from  the  Federal  batter 
ies  robbed  the  patriots  of  one  of  tiic  chief  ornaments  of  their 
army.  While  General  Winder  was  standing  beside  the  guns  of 
Poague  and  Carpenter,  directing  their  working  with  his  customary 
coolness  and  skill,  a  shell  struck  him  upon  the  side,  dashed  his 
field-glass  from  his  hand,  and  inflicted  a  ghastly  wound,  of  which 
he  died  three  hours  after.  No  more  just  or  graceful  tribute 
can  be  paid  to  his  memory,  than  that  of  General  Jackson's 
report.  "  It  is  difficult  within  the  proper  reserve  of  an  official 
report,  to  do  justice  to  the  merits  of  this  accomplished  officer. 
Urged  by  the  medical  director  to  take  no  part  in  the  movements 
of  the  day,  because  of  the  enfeebled  state  of  his  health,  his 
ardent  patriotism  and  military  pride  could  bear  no  such  restraint. 
Richly  endowed  with  those  qualities  of  mind  and  person,  which 
fit  an  officer  for  command,  and  which  attract  the  admiration  and 
excite  the  enthusiasm  of  troops,  he  was  rapidly  rising  to  the 
front  rank  of  his  profession.  His  loss  has  been  severely  felt," 
Succeeding  General  Richard  Garnett  in  the  command  of  the 
Stonewall  Brigade,  after  the  battle  of  Kernstown,  and  coming  to 
it  wholly  a  stranger,  he  had  unavoidably  inherited  some  of  the 
odium  of  that  popular  officer's  removal.  During  the  first  two 
months  of  his  connexion  with  it,  he  was  respected  and  obeyed ; 
for  his  dignity,  bearing,  and  soldierly  qualities  were  such  as 
to  ensure  this  everywhere ;  but  he  inspired  no  enthusiasm.  It 
was  at  Winchester,  when  General  Jackson  assigned  him  the  com 
mand  of  his  left  wing,  that  his  prowess  broke  forth  to  the  appre 
hension  of  his  men,  like  the  sun  bursting  through  clouds.  The 


CONFEDERATE  LEFT  BROKEN.  499 

heroism*  with  which  he  shared  their  dangers,  and  the  mastery 
with  which  he  directed  their  strength,  placed  him  thenceforth  in 
their  hearts. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  struggle  began  in  earnest, 
by  the  advance  of  the  Federal  infantry  against  Early,  through 
the  Indian  corn.  This  General,  handling  his  regiments  with 
admirable  coolness  and  daring,  held  the  heavy  masses  in  his 
front  at  bay,  with  slight  loss  to  himself.  Soon  after,  the  enemy 
advanced  a  strong  force  of  infantry  to  turn  his  right ;  but  just  as 
the  movement  was  endangering  the  guns  of  Brown  and  Dement, 
a  brigade  was  seen  advancing  rapidly  to  their  support.  It  was 
the  command  of  Thomas  (from  the  division  of  A.  P.  Hill,  who 
had  now  arrived  upon  the  scene) ;  which,  with  two  additional 
batteries,  took  post  upon  Early's  right.  The  Confederate  line 
of  battle  was  thus  extended  within  a  half-mile  of  the  mountain, 
and  all  the  efforts  made  against*it  on  this  side  were  hurled  back 
with  loss.  But,  upon  the  other  extremity  of  the  field,  grave 
events  were  occurring.  It  has  been  related,  how  the  second 
brigade  of  the  division  of  Winder,  under  Colonel  Garnett,  had 
been  stationed  on  the  left  of  the  great  road,  with  its  line  con 
formed  to  the  convexity  of  the  wood.  The  Stonewall  Brigade, 
which  was  its  reserve,  was,  unhappily,  too  far  to  the  rear  to  give 
it  immediate  support.  One  moment  it  was  declared  that  there 
was  no  hostile  infantry  visible  in  its  front;  but  the  next,  the 
men  at  the  extreme  left  beheld  a  formidable  line,  whose  length 
overlapped  them  on  either  hand,  advancing  swiftly  from  the 
opposite  woods,  -and  across  the  stubble  field,  to  assail  them. 
The  battalion  at  that  end  of  the  line,  seeing  themselves  thus 
overmatched,  fired  a  few  ineffectual  volleys,  and  gave  way ;  the 
Federal  right  speedily  swept  around,  entered  and  filled  the 
woods,  and  even  threatened  the  rear  of  the  batteries  of  the 
division,  from  which  the  third  brigade  of  Taliaferro  had  a  little 


500  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

before  been  removed  to  the  front,  to  fill  the  interval  between  the 
second  and  that  of  Early.  The  whole  angle  of  forest  was  now 
filled  with  clamor  and  horrid  rout.  Tho  left  regiments  of  the 
second  brigade  were  taken  in  reverse,  intermingled  with  the 
enemy,  broken,  and  massacred  from  front  and  rear.  The 
regiments  of  the  right,  and  especially  the  21st  Virginia,  com 
manded  by  the  brave  Christian  soldier,  Colonel  Cunningham, 
stood  firm,  and  fought  the  enemy  before  them  like  lions,  until 
the  invading  line  had  penetrated  within  twenty  yards  of  their 
rear.  For  the  terrific  din  of  the  musketry,  the  smoke,  and  the 
dense  foliage,  concealed  friend  from  foe,  until  they  were  only 
separated  from  each  other  by  this  narrow  interval.  Their 
heroic  Colonel  was  slain,  the  orders  of  officers  were  unheard 
amidst  the  shouts  of  the  assailants,  and  all  the  vast  uproar ;  yet 
the  remnants  of  the  second  brigade  fought  on,  man  to  man. 
without  rank  or  method,  with  bayonet  thrusts  and  muskets 
clubbed,  but  borne  back  like  the  angry  foam  on  a  mighty  wave, 
toward  the  high  road.  The  third  brigade,  'also,  upon  the  right 
of  the  second,  was  broken,  and  on  both  sides  of  the  way  the 
enemy  made  a  vast  irruption,  in  which  half  of  Early's  brigade 
was  involved.  On  his  extreme  left,  next  to  Taliaferro  stood 
the  famous  13th  Virginia,  which,  under  the  gallant  leading  of 
its  sturdy  Colonel,  J.  A.  Walker,  still  showed  an  unbroken  front, 
and  fell  back,  fighting  the  flood  of  enemies.  The  right  regiments 
of  Early,  under  the  immediate  eye  of  their  veteran  General,  held 
their  ground  like  a  rampart.  But  the  Federalists  were  fast 
gaining  their  rear  in  the  open  field. 

It  was  at  this  fearful  moment  that  the  genius  of  the  storm 
reared  his  head  amidst  the  tumultuous  billows ;  and  in  an  instant 
the  threatening  tide  was  turned.  Jackson  appeared  in  the  mid 
torrent  of  the  highway,  his  figure  instinct  with  majesty,  and  his 
face  flaming  with  the  inspiration  of  battle;  he  ordered  the 


THE   TIDE   TURNED.  501 

batteries  which  Winder  had  placed  to  be  instantly  withdrawn, 
to  preserve  them  from  capture :  he  issued  Ms  summons  for  his 
reserves ;  he  drew  his  own  sword  (the  first  time  in  this  war), 
and  shouted  to  the  broken  troops  with  a  voice  which  pealed 
higher  than  the  roar  of  battle :  "  Rally,  brave  men,  and  press 
forward !  Your  general  will  lead  you.  Jackson  will  lead  you. 
Follow  me !  *  "  The  fugitives,  with  a  general  shame,  gathered 
around  their  adored  general :  and  rushing  with  a  few  score  of 
them  to  the  front,  he  posted  them  behind  the  fence  which  bor 
dered  the  roadside,  and  received  the  pursuers  with  a  deadly  vol 
ley.  They  recoiled  in  surprise  j  while  officers  of  every  grade, 
catching  the  generous  fervor  of  their  commander,  flew  among  the 
men,  and  in  a  moment  reinstated  the  failing  battle.  The  frag 
ments  of  Early  and  Taliaferro  returned  to  their  places,  forming 
around  that  heroic  nucleus,  the  13th  Virginia,  and  swept  the 
open  field  clear  of  the  enemy.  The  Stonewall  Brigade  had 
already  come  up  and  changed  the  tide  of  battle  in  the  bloody 
woodland,  for  some  of  the  regiments  sweeping  far  around  to  the 
left  through  the  field  of  brushwood,  had  taken  the  Federalists,  in 
turn,  upon  their  flank,  and  were  driving  them  back  with  a  fear 
ful  slaughter  into  the  stubble  field.  Scarcely  was  this  Titanic 
blow  delivered,  when  the  fine  brigade  of  Branch,  from  the  divi 
sion  of  A.  P.  Hill,  hardly  allowing  itself  time  to  form,  rushed 
forward  to  second  them,  and  completed  the  repulse. 

The  Federal  commander,  loth  to  lose  his  advantage  so  quick 
ly,  now  brought  forward  a  magnificent  column  of  cavalry,  and 
hurled  it  along  the  highway,  full  against  the  Confederate  centre. 
Xo  cannon  was  in  position  to  ravage  their  ranks ;  but,  as  they 
forced  back  the  line  for  a  little  space  by  their  momentum,  the 
infantry  of  Branch  closed  in  upon  their  right,  and  that  of  Talia 
ferro  and  Early  upon  their  left.  Especially  did  the  13th  Virginia 

*  His  own  words,  as  repeated  by  a  member  of  his  staff,  who  was  present. 


502  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENEEAL   JACKSON. 

now  exact  a  bloody  recompense  of  them  for  all  their  disas 
ters.  Wheeling  instantly  toward  the  left,  they  rushed  to  the 
fence  beside  the  road ;  and,  just  as  the  recoil  of  the  shock  began, 
poured  a  withering  volley  into  the  huddled  mass  from  the  dis 
tance  of  a  few  yards.  On  both  sides  of  the  devoted  column,  the 
lines  of  Branch  and  of  Taliaferro  blazed,  until  it  fled  to  the  rear, 
utterly  scattered  and  dissipated.  And  now  Jackson's  blood  was 
up;  and  he  delivered  blow  after  blow  from  his  insulted  left 
wing,  with  stunning  rapidity  and  regulated  fury.  Scarcely  was 
the  charge  of  this  cavalry  repelled,  when  he  again  reinforced  the 
ranks  of  Branch  in  front  of  the  bloody  stubble  field,  with  the 
brigades  of  Archer  and  of  Fender,  from  the  division  of  Hill, 
extending  them  far  to  the  left.  These  fresh  troops,  with  the 
remainder  of  the  first  and  second  brigades  of  Jackson's  division 
were  ordered  by  him  to  advance  across  the  field,  throwing  their 
left  continually  forward,  and  attack  the  enemy's  line  in  the  oppo 
site  wood.  They  advanced  under  a  heavy  fire,  when  the  foe 
yielded  the  bloody  field,  and  broke  into  full  retreat.  The  brig 
ade  of  Taliaferro  also  charged,  bearing  toward  the  right,  and 
pierced  the  field  of  Indian  corn  in  front  of  General  Early,  where 
they  captured  four  hundred  of  the  enemy,  with  Brigadier- General 
Prince. 

The  two  brigades  which  had  hitherto  remained  with  General 
Ewell  upon  the  mountain  now  advanced  also  upon  the  right, 
turned  the  left  flank  of  the  Federalists,  and  captured  one  piece 
of  artillery.  Thus,  at  every  point,  the  foe  was  repulsed,  and 
hurled  into  full  retreat.  When  night  settled  upon  the  field  they 
had  been  driven  two  miles,  Jackson  urging  on  the  pursuit  with 
the  fresh  brigades  of  Stafford  and  Field.  It  was  his  cherished 
desire  to  penetrate  to  Culpepper  Court  House,  for  he  would 
then  have  struck  the  centre  of  Pope's  position,  and  his  chief  depot 
of  supplies ;  whence  he  hoped  to  be  able  to  crush  the  fragments 


HIS   TROOPS  BIVOUAC.  5UJ 

of  his  army  before  the  corps  of  M'Dowell  could  reach  him. 
With  this  object,  he  purposed  at  first  to  continue  the  pursuit  all 
night.  Ascertaining  by  his  scouts  that  the  enemy  had  paused  in 
their  flight  just  in  his  front,  he  now  placed  the  battery  of  Pegram 
in  position,  and  opened  a  hot  fire  upon  them  at  short  range. 
This  new  cannonade  threw  them  for  a  time  into  great  confusion ; 
and  had  the  darkness  of  the  night  permitted  the  victor  to  see 
distinctly  where  his  blows  should  be  aimed,  he  would  probably 
have  converted  the  retreat  of  the  Federals  into  a  disastrous  rout. 
But,  after  a  time,  three  batteries  began  to  reply  to  Pegram  with 
such  vigor  as  plainly  indicated  that  Pope  had  received  some 
fresh  supports  since  the  night  fell.  The  indefatigable  Colonel 
William  E.  Jones  also,  returning  with  his  regiment  of  cavalry 
from  a  fatiguing  expedition,  had  passed  to  the  front,  and  ascer 
tained  the  arrival  of  the  remainder  of  the  corps  of  Fremont,  now 
commanded  by  Sigel.  The  General  therefore  determined  not  to 
hazard  more  in  the  darkness  of  the  night,  and  commanded  the 
troops  to  halt  and  bivouac  upon  the  ground  which  they  had  won. 
The  long  day,  sultry  with  an  August  sun,  and  with  the  heats 
of  battle,  had  now  given  place  to  a  night,  moonless  but  placid. 
Jackson  at  length  gathered  his  wearied  Staff  about  him,  and 
rode  languidly  back  through  the  field  of  strife,  lately  so  stormy, 
but  now  silent,  save  where  the  groans  of  the  wounded  broke  the 
stillness,  seeking  a  place  of.  repose.  Applying  at  two  or  three 
farm-houses  for  shelter,  he  was  informed  that  they  were  full  of 
wounded  men,  when  he  persistently  refused  to  enter,  lest  he 
should  be  the  occasion  of  robbing  some  sufferer  of  his  resting- 
place.  Resuming  his  way,  he  observed  a  little  grass-plot,  and 
declared  that  he  could  go  no  farther,  but  must  sleep  then  and 
there.  A  cloak  was  spread  for  him  upon  the  ground,  when  he 
prostrated  himself  on  it  upon  his  breast,  and  in  a  moment  forgot 
his  toils  and  fatigues  in  deep  slumber. 


504  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENEKAL  JACKSON. 

The  morning  of  the  10th  of  August,  General  Jackson  with 
drew  his  lines  a  short  distance,  and  proceeded  to  bury  his  dead, 
and  collect  from  the  field  the  spoils  of  his  victory.  These  con 
sisted  of  one  piece  of  artillery  and  three  caissons,  three  colors, 
and  five  thousand  three  hundred  small  arms.  The  loss  of  the 
Confederates  in  this  battle  was  two  hundred  and  twenty-three 
killed,  one  thousand  and  sixty  wounded,  and  thirty-one  missing,. 
—  making  a  total  of  one  thousand  three  hundred  and  fourteen. 
General  Jackson  modestly  estimated  the  loss  of  his  enemy  as 
double  his  own.  How  moderate  that  estimate  was  will  appear 
in  the  sequel.  The  Federalists,  according  to  their  own  returns, 
had  thirty-two  thousand  men  engaged  in  this  battle.  The  num 
bers  of  General  Jackson  were  between  eighteen  and  twenty 
thousand.  The  prisoners  captured  from  the  enemy  were  chiefly 
from  the  corps  of  General  Banks ;  but  a  few  from  those  of  Sigel 
and  McDowell  showed  that  parts  of  their  commands  were  also 
engaged.  On  the  llth  of  August,  Pope  requested,  by  flag  of 
truce,  access  to  the  field  to  bury  his  dead.  This  privilege  was 
granted  to  him ;  and  General  Early  was  appointed  commandant 
of  the  field,  to  enforce  the  terms  of  the  temporary  truce.  Soon 
the  ground  was  covered  with  those  who  had  lately  been  arrayed 
-against  each  other  in  mortal  strife,  mingling  unarmed.  While 
the  burying  parties  collected  their  bloody  charge,  and  excavated 
great  pits  in  which  to  cover  them,  the  rest  were  busy  trading  their 
horses  with  each  other,  arguing  upon  the  politics  of  the  great  con 
troversy,  and  discussing  the  merits  of  their  respective  Generals. 
The  Federals,  with  one  consent,  were  loud  in  their  praises  of 
Jackson ;  and  declared  that  if  they  had  such  Generals  to  lead 
them,  they  also  could  win  victories  and  display  prowess.  Not  a 
few  of  them  were  prompt  to  draw  parallels  between  the  simpli 
city,  self-reliance,  and  courage  of  the  Confederate  Generals,  and 
the  ostentation  and  timidity  of  their  own,  little  complimentary  to 


REPORTS  THE  VICTORY   TO  LEE.  505 

them.  "  See  old  Early,"  they  said,  "  riding  everywhere,  without 
a  single  guard,  among  his  enemies  of  yesterday.  If  it  were 
one  of  our  mutton-headed  Generals,  he  must  needs  have  half  a 
regiment  of  cavalry  at  his  heels,  to  gratify  his  pride,  and  defend 
him  from  unarmed  men ! "  General  Early  saw  them  bury  seven 
hundred  corpses.  How  many  were  borne  from  the  field  by 
them  during  the  progress  of  the  battle,  cannot  be  known.  If 
they,  like  the  Confederates,  had  five  wounded  for  every  one 
slain  (the  usual  ratio),  then  their  total  loss  was,  at  the  least,  four 
thousand  six  hundred.  While  the  field  of  Indian  corn  was 
sprinkled  over  with  dead,  the  most  ghastly  accumulation  was  in 
the  stubble  field  and  the  brushwood  in  front  of  the  Confederate 
left ;  which  one  of  their  own  Generals  (taking  his  metaphor  from 
his  own  former  trade)  denominated  "the  slaughter-pens."  The 
battle  of  Cedar  Run,  like  all  those  where  Jackson  was  the  assail 
ant,  was  remarkable  for  the  narrowness  of  the  front  upon  which 
the  true  contest  was  enacted.  A  space  of  a  mile  in  width  here 
embraced  the  whole  of  the  ground  upon  which  his  centre  and 
left  wing  had  wrestled,  for  half  a  day,  against  thirty  thousand 
men.  When  it  is  remembered  that  these  were  enough  to  man  a 
line  of  battle,  six  miles  long,  this  fact  will  appear  a  singular 
evidence  of  the  incompetency  of  the  Federal  tactics, — that  their 
boastful  commander  should  have  accepted  defeat  with  all  the 
advantage  of  his  superior  numbers,  in  an  open  country,  without 
effecting  any  more  extended  development  of  his  lines,  or  resort 
to  the  resources  of  manoeuvre.  General  Jackson,  on  his  part, 
pronounced  this  the  most  successful  of  his  exploits.  But  he 
announced  it  to  his  superior,  General  Lee,  in  these  devout  and 
modest  terms :  — 

"  AUGUST  llth,  6£  A.  M. 

"  On  the  evening  of  the  9th  instant,  God  blessed  our  arms 
with  another  victory.     The  battle  was  near  Cedar  Run,  about 

64 


506  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

six  miles  from  Culpepper  Court  House.  The  enemy,  according 
to  statements  of  prisoners,  consisted  of  Banks's,  McDowell's  and 
Sigel's  commands.  We  have  over  four  hundred  prisoners, 
including  Brigadier- General  Price.  "Whilst  our  list  of  killed  is 
less  than  that  of  the  enemy,  we  have  to  mourn  the  loss  of  some 
of  our  best  officers  and  men.  Brigadier-General  Charles  S. 
Winder  was  mortally  wounded  whilst  ably  discharging  his  duty 
at  the  head  of  his  command,  which  was  the  advance  of  the  left 
wing  of  the  army.  We  have  collected  about  1500  small  arms, 
and  other  ordnance  stores." 

Whilst  General  Jackson  was  engaged  on  the  10th,  caring  for  his 
killed  and  wounded,  he  caused  careful  reconnaissances  to  be  made 
under  the  care  of  General  J.  E.  B.  Stuart,  who  providentially 
visited  his  army  on  that  day,  on  a  tour  of  inspection.  He  was 
convinced  by  this  inquiry,  that  the  army  of  Pope  was  receiving 
constant  accessions,  and  that  before  he  could  resume  the  offen 
sive,  it  would  be  swelled  to  sixty  thousand  men.  The  bulk  of 
the  forces  of  McDowell,  was  upon  the  march  to  join  the  enemy, 
by  a  route  which  seemed  to  threaten  his  rear.  He  therefore 
determined  that  it  was  imprudent  to  hazard  farther  offensive 
movements.  Having  sent  back  all  his  spoils  and  his  wounded, 
he  retired  from  the  front  of  the  enemy  the  night  of  August  lltli, 
and  returned  unmolested  to  the  neighborhood  of  Gordonsville, 
hoping  that  Pope's  evil  star  might  tempt  him  to  attack  his  army 
there,  where  the  proximity  of  the  railroad  would  enable  him  to 
receive  adequate  re-inforcements. 

A  part  of  the  leisure  of  his  day  of  truce  was  employed  in 
writing  to  Mrs.  Jackson  a  letter,  from  which  the  following 
extract  is  taken. 

u  On  last  Saturday  our  God  again  crowned  our  arms  with 


REASONS  FOB  BATTLE  OF  CEDAR  RUN.         507 

victory,  about  six  miles  from  Culpepper  Court  House.  All  glory 
be  to  God  for  his  unnumbered  blessings. 

"  I  can  hardly  think  of  the  fall  of  Brigadier- General  C.  S. 
Winder,  without  tearful  eyes.  Let  us  all  unite  more  earnestly 
in  imploring  God's  aid  in  fighting  our  battles  for  us.  The 
thought  that  there  are  so  many  of  God's  people  praying  for  His 
blessing  upon  the  army,  which,  in  His  providence,  is  with  me, 
greatly  strengthens  me.  If  God  be  for  us,  who  can  be  against 
us  ?  That  He  will  still  be  with  us,  and  give  us  victory  after 
victory,  until  our  independence  shall  be  established,  and  that  He 
will  make  our  nation  that  people  whose  God  is  the  Lord,  is  my 
earnest  and  oft-repeated  prayer.  Whilst  we  attach  so  much 
importance  to  being  free  from  temporal  bondage,  we  must  attach 
far  more  to  being  free  from  the  bondage  of  _sin." 

His  report  of  the  battle  is  closed  with  these  words : 

"  In  order  to  render  thanks  to  God  for  the  victory  at  Cedar 
Run,  and  other  past  victories,  and  to  implore  His  continued 
favor  in  the  future,  divine  service  was  held  in  the  army  on  the 
14th  of  August." 

This  battle  was  claimed  by  the  Federalists,  with  their  usual 
effrontery,  as  a  victory ;  under  the  pretext  that  General  Jackson 
had  after  two  days  retreated  and  reorossed  the  Rapid  Ann. 
Had  these  measures  on  his  part  been  caused  by  anything  that 
was  done  upon  the  battle-field  by  the  forces  engaged  against 
him  August  9th,  that  pretext  would  have  worn  the  color  of  a 
reason.  But  since  his  withdrawal  was  caused  by  the  arrival  of 
fresh  troops  in  great  numbers,  after  the  battle  was  concluded,  it 
might  with  as  much  truth  be  said  that  any  other  victory  in  histo 
ry  was  a  defeat,  because  the  material  resources  of  the  two 
parties  were  afterwards  modified  or  reversed. 

The  opinion  has  been  expressed  that  although  Jackson  fought 
well  at  Cedar  Run,  it  would  have  been  better  not  to  have  fought 


508  LIFE   OP  LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSON. 

at  all  j  -  because  his  victory,  while  glorious,  was  without  other  re 
sult  ;  and  thus  the  brave  men  lost  were  made  a  useless  sacrifice. 
This  criticism  should  be  met  by  two  answers.  The  battle 
was  not  without  solid  result,  for  it  arrested  the  career  of  Pope 
until  the  army  of  Northern  Virginia  arrived,  and  prevented  his 
gaining  positions  decisive  of  future  operations.  It  must  be 
remembered  that  on  the  2nd  of  August,  the  vanguard  of  the 
invading  army  had  crossed  the  Eapid  Ann,  and  penetrated  with 
in  twelve  miles  of  Gordonsville.  The  troops  which  came  to 
support  Jackson  did  not  move  against  the  enemy  from  that  place, 
until  August  16th.  What  disastrous  progress  might  not  the 
invaders  have  made  within  that  time,  if  Jackson  had  not  arrested 
them  by  his  timely  blow?  But  second:  designs,  which  must 
necessarily  be  made  in  advance,  are  entitled  to  be  tried,  when 
the  question  is  of  the  wisdom  of  him  who  formed  them,  not  by 
the  strict  rule  of  the  actual  event,  but  by  the  milder  one  of  the 
probable  result.  General  Jackson  proposed  to  strike  the  en 
emy,  not  at  Cedar  Run,  but  at  Culpepper  Court  House ;  and  not 
upon  the  9th,  but  the  8th  of  August.  The  space  to  be  traversed 
to  effect  this,  was  not  unreasonable,  (but  one  day's  rapid 
marching)  and  the  blunder  by  which  it  was  prevented  was 
unforeseen.  Had  his  wishes  been  attained,  it  is  not  unreason 
able  to  say,  that  his  victory  would  have  been  so  much  more 
complete  as  to  silence  every  charge  of  fruitlessness.  For  we 
have  seen  that  the  supports  which  saved  Pope  from  destruction 
only  arrived  at  nightfall  upon  the  9th, 


SECOND  MANASSA'S.  509 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

SECOND  MANASSA'S. 

THE  battle  of  Cedar  Run  was  but  the  prelude  to  a  more 
bloody  struggle,  which  was  destined,  by  a  strange  coincidence; 
for  the  historic  plains  of  Manassa's.  General  Jackson  had 
scarcely  returned  to  his  encampment  near  Gordonsville,  when 
the  gathering  of  the  hostile  masses  in  larger  volume  began. 
General  Lee,  convinced  that  M'Clellan  was  incapable  of  farther 
aggression,  and  that  the  surest  way  to  remove  him  finally  from 
the  peninsula  would  be  to  threaten  Washington  more  violently, 
began  to  remove  the  remainder  of  his  army  from  Richmond  to 
the  Rapid  Ann,  August  13th;  proposing  to  leave  only  a  sipall 
force  for  observation  upon  his  lines  there,  until  the  success  of  his 
experiment  was  verified.  On  that  day,  General  Longstreet  com 
menced  his  march  for  Gordonsville,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
troops  were  moved  in  the  same  direction,  the  division  of  General 
D.  H.  Hill  bringing  up  the  rear,  near  the  end  of  the  month.  Hal- 
leek,  the  new  Federal  generalissimo,  was  also  eagerly  dictating 
the  same  movement  to  M'Clellan.  He  found  the  "  Grand  Army" 
divided  into  two  widely  separated  fragments,  and  trembled 
before  the  activity  of  Jackson,  and  the  danger  of  his  Capital. 
M'Clellan  accordingly  broke  up  his  camps  at  Berkeley  on  the 
17th  of  August,  and  with  sore  reluctance  shipped  the  decimated 
remains  of  his  troops  to  Aquia  Creek  on  the  Potomac.  Disease 
had  been  carrying  on  the  work  which  the  sword  had  begun,  and 


510  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

the  fever  and  dysentery  of  the  country  had  fearfully  thinned  his 
ranks.  But  meantime,  General  Burnside  had  brought  his  corps 
from  North  Carolina,  and  landing  it  at  the  same  spot  on  the 
Potomac,  had  marched  it  to  the  support  of  General  Pope  in 
Culpepper. 

That  commander  now  had  his  forces  tolerably  concentrated 
along  the  line  of  the  Orange  Railroad.  But  ignorant  of  the  first 
principles  of  strategy  and  possessed  with  the  vain  conceit  of 
crossing  the  Rapid  Ann  nearer  its  source,  and  thus  turning 
Jackson's  left  wing,  he  had  extended  his  right  toward  Madison. 
He  did  not  advert,  seemingly,  to  the  fact  that  this  manoeuvre 
gave  him  a  line  of  operations  nearly  parallel  to  his  adversary's 
base,  and  thus  exposed  his  own  left  and  his  communications,  to  a 
more  mortal  thrust  from  him.  The  course  of  the  Rapid  Ann, 
which  had  now  manifestly  become  Jackson's  temporary  base,  is 
north  of  east;  while  the  curvature  of  the  Orange  Railroad 
is  such  that  its  course,  eastward  .of  Culpepper  Court  House,  is 
parallel  to  that  river,  or  even  brings  its  stations  near  the  Rappa- 
hannock,  nearer  to  it  than  at  the  Court  House.  Thus  the  Con 
federates,  without  exposing  their  own  communications,  had  it  in 
their  power  to  strike  those  of  Pope  at  Brandy  Station  by  a 
march  shorter  than  that  which  would  fetch  the  Federal  advance 
back  to  that  place.  So  obvious  an  advantage  could  not  escape 
any  one  except  the  doughty  Pope.  'Jackson  of  course  seized  it 
upon  the  instant.  Upon  an  elevated  hill  which  is  called  Clarke's 
Mountain,  east  of  Orange  Court  House,  he  had  established  a 
signal  station.  From  this  lofty  lookout,  all  the  course  of  the 
Rapid  Ann  and  the  plains  of  Culpepper,  white  with  the  enemy's 
tents  toward  Madison,  were  visible.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  the 
troops  from  Richmond  began  to  arrive,  General  Jackson  left 
Gordonsville,  and  on  the  15th  of  August,  marched  to  the  eastern 
base  of  Clarke's  Mountain,  where  he  carefully  masked  his  forces 


POPE   ESCAPES   TO   EAPPAHANNOCK.  511 

near  the  fords  of  the  Rapid  Ann.  His  signal  officer  upon  the 
peak  above,  reported  to  him  that  the  enemy  were  quiet,  or  even 
extending  their  right  still  farther  up  the  country,  unconscious  of 
their  danger.  The  Commander-in-Chief,  who  was  now  upon  'the 
ground,  appointed  the  morning  of  the  18th  at  dawn  of  day,  for 
the  critical  movement ;  but  the  dilatoriness  of  a  part  of  his  sub 
ordinates  disappointed  the  completeness  of  his  combinations,  and 
overruling  the  eagerness  of  Jackson,  he  postponed  it  until  the 
20th.  He  again  issued  orders  for  that  day,  that  all  the  troops 
should  be  prepared  to  advance  in  light  marching  order,  with 
three  days'  rations,  and  throw  themselves  that  afternoon  upon 
the  enemy's  rear.  Jackson  was  to  cross  the  stream  at  Somer- 
ville's  ford,  so  as  to  occupy  the  left,  supported  by  the  division  of 
General  Anderson ;  while  Longstreet  passed  below,  at  Eaccoon 
ford,  and  formed  the  right.  General  Stuart,  now  Major- General 
of  cavalry,  was  to  cross  with  his  two  brigades  of  Robertson  and 
FitzHugh  Lee,  and  his  flying  artillery,  at  Morton's  ford,  march 
direct  for  the  Rappahannock  bridge,  destroy  it,  and  then  turning 
back  along  the  enemy's  line  of  communication,  destroy  his  trains, 
and  fill  every  place  with  panic,  until  he  connected  with  the 
infantry  of  Longstreet  upon  the  extreme  right.  It  was  hoped 
that  by  these  skilful  dispositions,  the  enemy,  cut  off  from  his  line 
of  retreat,  and  fiercely  attacked  upon  his  left,  would  be  routed, 
insulated  and  destroyed. 

But  the  issue  showed  the  importance  of  that  element  of  strate 
gic  combinations,  which  Jackson  so  keenly  estimated,  time.  The 
propitious  moment  was  already  forfeited  by  delay.  On  the 
night  of  the  eighteenth  of  August,  the  day  when  the  movement 
should  have  been  made,  a  handful  of  fugitive  negroes  reached 
the  army  of  Pope,  and  revealed  to  him  enough  of  the  movements 
of  the  Confederates,  to  open  his  eyes  to  his  danger.  On  the 
nineteenth,  as  the  Commander-in-Chief  stood  upon  his  lookout 


512  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

on  Clarke's  Mountain,  the  encampments  of  the  enemy  farthest 
west  were  seen  to  disappear,  and  as  the  day  advanced,  the  rest 
vanished  from  view  like  a  fleeting  vision.  Pope  was  in  full 
retreat,  eager  to  place  the  Rappahannock  between  himself  and 
his  adversary.  This  was  his  first  lesson  upon  the  soundness  of 
his  maxim,  that  a  conquering  General  should  leave  his  communi 
cations  to  take  care  of  themselves;  and  he  was  destined  to 
receive  others  still  ruder.  General  Lee  hastened  to  pursue,  and 
put  his  army  in  motion  on  an  early  hour  of  the  20th  of  August, 
according  to  the  plan  already  arranged.  General  Jackson, 
crossing  the  Eapid  Ann  at  Somerville's  ford,  marched  rapidly 
toward  Brandy  Station,  while  General  Longstreet,  crossing  simul 
taneously  below,  pressed  toward  Kelley's  Ford  on  the  Rappa 
hannock.  No  Federal  infantry  awaited  their  approach ;  before 
their  arrival,  all  had  crossed  the  latter  stream.  But  their 
cavalry  still  occupied  the  Culpepper  bank,  and  were  driven 
across  by  the  brigades  of  Stuart.  One  of  these,  the  brigade 
of  Robertson,  formerly  the  lamented  Ashby's,  under  the  eye  of 
its  Major- General,  had  a  brilliant  combat  with  the  enemy's  horse 
near  Brandy  Station,  and  drove  them  across  the  river  with  loss. 
Pope's  whole  army  was  now  found  massed  upon  the  northern 
bank  of  the  Rappahannock,  with  a  powerful  artillery  prepared 
to  dispute  the  passage  of  General  Lee.  He  therefore  formed 
the  plan  of  striking  his  rear  at  a  point  still  farther  north,  and 
thus  dislodging  him,  and  fighting  a  general  battle.  But  the  con 
ditions  under  which  the  second  movement  must  be  made,  were 
far  less  favorable  than  those  of  the  one  projected  from  the  Rapid 
Ann ;  and.  the  results  could  not  be  expected  to  be  so  great.  The 
Rappahannock,  which  was  then  in  Pope's  rear,  and  would  have 
been  a  fatal  obstacle  to  the  retreat  of  his  defeated  army,  was 
now  in  his  front,  and  was  his  defence.  His  communications 
were  no  longer  exposed  to  a  direct  blow,  but  could  only  be 


NEW   PLAN    AGAINST    POPE.  513 

reached  by  a  dangerous,  arduous,  and  circuitous  inarch.  And 
•when  the  battle  was  fought  and  won,  the  beaten  army  would  be 
within  a  day's  march  of  its  place  of  refuge,  the  lines  of  Arling 
ton.  Yet  the  vigor  and  courage  of  Jackson  were  trusted  to 
effect  this  difficult  enterprise.  It  was  determined  to  march  up 
the  Rappahannock  River,  until  a  practicable  crossing  was  found ; 
and  then  to  throw  the  corps  of  Jackson,  which,  being  on  the 
left,  became  the  front  in  this  movement,  by  forced  marches  to 
Manassa's  Junction ;  and  when  his  threatening  presence  there 
had  called  Pope  away,  to  follow  with  the  remainder  of  the 
army. 

The  first  essay  in  pursuance  of  this  plan  was  made  on  the 
2 1  st  of  August.  General  Jackson,  leaving  the  hamlet  of  Stevens- 
burg,  where  ne  had  bivouacked,  crossed  the  railroad,  and 
approached  the  river  above  it,  at  Beverly's  ford.  A  lodgement 
was  effected  here  by  a  regiment  of  cavalry,  upon  the  northern 
bank,  which  was  held  until  the  evening ;  but  the  enemy  was 
approaching  in  such  force,  that  it  was  deemed  inexpedient  to 
make  the  passage  in  their  presence,  and  the  advanced  party  was 
withdrawn.  The  artillery  of  General  Longstreet  had  meantime 
engaged  that  of  the  enemy  at  the  railroad  crossing,  a  few  miles 
below,  with  such  success  as  to  compel  them  to  withdraw  to  their 
works  on  the  north  side,  and  then  to  burn  the  bridge  and  desert 
the  position.  The  morning  of  August  22nd  witnessed  a  renewal 
of  the  same  proceedings :  the  two  armies  advanced  slowly  up 
the  Rappahannock,  upon  its  opposite  banks,  contesting  with  each 
other  every  available  crossing,  by  fierce  artillery  duels ;  and 
attempting  upon  each  other  such  assaults  as  occasion  offered. 
The  corps  of  Jackson  having  passed  the  Hazel  River,  a  tributary 
of  the  Rappahannock  near  its  mouth,  left  its  baggage  train 
parked  there,  under  the  protection  of  Brigadier- General  Trimble, 
of  Swell's  division ;  while  the  main  force  pressed  on  to  secure 

65 


514  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

the  bridge  leading  from  Culpepper  to  Warrenton.  The  cupidity 
of  the  enemy  was  excited  by  this  tempting  prize,  and  they 
crossed  to  seize  it,  capturing  a  few  ambulances.  These  were 
almost  immediately  regained,  and  Trimble,  upon  receiving  the 
support  of  General  Hood,  who  formed  the  van  of  Longstreet's 
corps,  attacked  the  intruders,  and  drove  them  with  loss  to  the 
north  bank,  filling  the  stream  with  their  floating  corpses.  A 
similar  enterprise  attempted  on  the  other  hand,  by  the  Confed 
erate  General  Stuart,  on  this  day,  was  as  much  more  successful 
than  the  Federals,  as  it  was  more  audacious.  Crossing  the  Rap- 
pahannock,  above  the  enemy's  outposts,  with  a  brigade  of  cavalry, 
he  pressed  on  through  the  village  of  Warrenton,  and  struck  the 
rear  of  their  army  at  Catlett's  Station  after  nightfall.  Finding 
here  a  detachment  of  troops,  with  an  extensive  encampment,  in 
the  midst  of  a  furious  thunder-storm  and  Egyptian  darkness, 
they  dashed  into  it  with  a  yell,  scattering  the  astounded  occu 
pants  to  the  winds,  and  capturing  a  great  spoil,  with  a  number 
of  prisoners.  This  encampment  was  found  to  contain  the  head 
quarters  of  General  Pope ;  and  the  baggage,  clothing,  horses, 
and  money  of  his  Staff,  as  well  as  his  own,  rewarded  the  bold 
ness  of  the  assailants.  Great  exertions  were  also  made  to 
destroy  the  important  railroad  bridge  spanning  a  large  creek 
near  by ;  but  the  deluge  of  rain  had  saturated  the  timbers  beyond 
the  possibility  of  ignition,  and  the  rising  freshet  underneath,  with 
the  intense  darkness,  forbade  the  men  to  ply  their  axes  with  suc 
cess.  Stuart  therefore,  gathering  up  his  spoils  and  prisoners, 
returned  the  way  he  came,  leaving  the  enemy  confounded  by  his 
seeming  ubiquity.  Pope  thus  learned,  in  a  second  hard  lesson, 
that  the  communications  of  an  army  are  worthy  of  its  com 
mander's  attention.  The  gravest  loss  which  he  experienced  in 
this  capture,  was  that  of  his  letter  book,  which  contained  copies 
of  his  confidential  despatches  to  Washington,  and  thus  revealed 


HE    CROSSES   AT   WARREN  TON   SPRINGS.  515 

to  General  Lee  the  most  intimate  secrets  of  his  numbers,  his 
plans,  and  his  pitiable  embarrassments. 

General  Jackson,  reaching  the  Warrenton  road  the  afternoon 
of  the  22nd,  found  the  bridge  destroyed,  and  other  evidence  that 
the  enemy  were  in  close  proximity.  But  they  were  not  yet  pre 
pared  to  dispute  his  passage.  Opposite  to  him,  on  a  beautiful 
hill,  rose  the  buildings  of  a  watering  place,  known  as  the  War 
renton  Springs,  or  Fauquier  White-Sulphur ;  while  to  his  right,  a 
mile  below,  stretched  a  forest  which  clothed  the  ridge  overlook 
ing  the  river  on  that  side.  He  sent  the  13th  Georgia  from 
Lawton's  brigade  across,  to  occupy  the  Springs  j  while  Early's 
brigade,  supported  by  two  batteries,  was  passed  over  on  a  ruin 
ous  mill-dam  a  mile  below,  and  occupied  the  wooded  ridge.  But 
now  the  darkness  of  the  approaching  night  and  storm  arrested 
the  passage  of  other  troops  j  the  floods  descended,  and  the  cur 
rent  was  speedily  swollen  so  as  to  become  impassable.  This 
accident  placed  the  command  of  Early  in  extreme  peril.  The 
advanced  parties  of  the  Federalists  were  hovering  around  him 
in  the  darkness,  and  he  had  nothing  to  expect  but  to  be  crushed 
at  the  dawn  of  day  by  the  whole  weight  of  their  army,  within 
sight  of  his  friends,  but  beyond  their  reach.  But  his  own  skill, 
with  the  wise  and  firm  support  of  Jackson,  rescued  him  without 
the  loss  of  a  man.  When  the  morning  came,  the  latter  sent 
word  to  General  Early  to  associate  the  13th  Georgia  with  his 
own  brigade,  and  form  the  whole  across  the  highlands  near  the 
watering  place,  with  his  left  upon  the  river,  and  his  right  upon 
a  creek,  now  equally  swollen  and  impracticable,  which  here 
approached  from  the  north  to  mingle  its  waters  with  the  Rappa- 
hannock.  He  urged  forward,  meantime,  the  construction  of  a 
temporary  bridge ;  and,  in  the  afternoon,  passed  the  remainder 
of  Lawton's  brigade  to  the  support  of  Early.  But  the  freshet 
which  had  protected  his  right  was  now  receding  into  its  banks, 


516  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

and  the  whole  army  of  Pope  was  manifestly  at  hand.  Yet  Early 
so  adroitly  concealed  his  force  in  the  woods,  and  held  his  foes  at 
bay  with  his  artillery,  that  they  were  able  to  make  no  decisive 
attack  before  nightfall.  During  the  darkness  he  retired  safely 
to  the  southern  bank,  with  his  batteries,  leaving  not  a  man 
nor  a  trophy  behind.  The  deliverance  of  Early  was  scarcely 
completed  before  the  dawn  of  the  24th.  The  troops  of  Long- 
street  had  now  arrived,  and  relieved  those  of  Jackson  in  the 
afternoon  of  that  day.  A  fierce  cannonade  was  kept  up  across 
the  river,  chiefly  by  the  guns  of  A.  P.  Hill,  by  which  the 
enemy  was  occupied,  while  Jackson  retired  a  few  miles  from 
the  river-bank  to  the  village  of  Jeffersonton,  relinquishing  to 
Longstreet  the  task  of  amusing  Pope  by  the  appearance  of  a 
crossing  at  the  Springs. 

While  the  enemy  was  thus  deluded  with  the  belief  that  the 
race  up  the  Rappahannock  was  ended,  and  that  he  now  had 
nothing  more  to  do  than  to  hold  its  northern  bank  at  this  place, 
General  Jackson  was  preparing,  under  the  instructions  of  the 
Comniander-in- Chief,  for  the  most  adventurous  and  brilliant  of 
his  exploits.  This  was  no  less  than  to  separate  himself 
from  the  support  of  the  remainder  of  the  army,  pass  around 
Pope  to  the  westward,  and  place  his  corps  between  him 
and  Washington  City,  at  Manassa's  Junction.  To  effect 
this,  the  Rappahannock  must  be  passed  on  the  upper  part 
of  its  course,  and  two  forced  marches  made  through  the 
western  quarters  of  the  county  of  Fauquier,  which  lie 
between  the  Blue  Ridge  and  the  subsidiary  range  of  the  Bull 
Run  Mountains.  Having  made  a  hasty  and  imperfect  issue  of 
rations,  Jackson  disembarrassed  himself  of  all  his  trains,  save  the 
ambulances  and  the  carriages  for  the  ammunition,  and  left  Jef 
fersonton  early  on  the  morning  of  August  25th.  Marching  first 
westward,  he  crossed  the  two  branches  of  the  Rappahannock; 


HE   ARRIVES   AT  BRISTOE.  517 

passed  the  hamlet  of  Orlean,  and  paused  at  night,  after  a 
march  of  twenty-five  miles,  near  Salem,  a  village  upon  the 
Manassa's  Gap  Railroad.  His  troops  had  been  constantly  march 
ing  and  fighting  since  the  20th ;  many  of  them  had  no  rations,  and 
subsisted  upon  the  green  corn  gathered  along  the  route;  yet 
their  indomitable  enthusiasm  and  devotion  knew  no  flagging. 
As  the  weary  column  approached  the  end  of  the  day's  march,  they 
found  Jackson,  who  had  ridden  forward,  dismounted,  and  stand 
ing  upon  a  great  stone  by  the  road-side.  His  sun-burned  cap 
was  lifted  from  his  brow,  and  he  was  gazing  toward  the  west, 
where  the  splendid  August  sun  was  about  to  kiss  the  distant 
crest  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  which  stretched  far  away,  bathed  in 
azure  and  gold ;  and  his  blue  eye,  beaming  with  martial  pride, 
returned  the  rays  of  the  evening  with  almost  equal  brightness. 
His  men  burst  forth  into  their  accustomed  cheers,  forgetting  all 
their  fatigue  at  his  inspiring  presence ;  but,  deprecating  the  tri 
bute  by  a  gesture,  he  sent  an  officer  to  request  that  there  should 
be  no  cheering,  inasmuch  as  it  might  betray  their  presence  to  the 
enemy.  They  at  once  repressed  their  applause,  and  passed  the 
word  down  the  column  to  their  comrades :  u  No  cheering,  boys ; 
the  General  requests  it."  But  as  they  passed  him,  their  eyes 
and  gestures,  eloquent  with  suppressed  affection,  silently  declared 
what  their  lips  were  forbidden  to  utter.  Jackson  turned  to  his 
Staff,  his  face  beaming  with  delight,  and  said :  "  Who  could  not 
conquer,  with  such  troops  as  these  ?  "  His  modesty,  ever  attri 
buting  his  glory  to  his  brave  men  rather  than  to  himself,  caused 
him  to  forget  that  it  was  his  genius  which  had  made  them  such 
soldiers  as  they  were. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th,  he  turned  eastward,  and  passing 
through  the  Bull  Run  Mountains,  at  Thoroughfare  Gap,  pro 
ceeded  to  Bristoe  Station,  on  the  Orange  Railroad,  by  another 
equally  arduous  march.  At  Gainsville,  he  was  joined  by  Stuart, 


518  LIFE   OP  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

with  his  cavalry,  who  now  assumed  the  duty  of  guarding  his  righl 
flank,  and  watching  the  main  army  of  Pope,  about  Warrenton 
As  the  Confederates  approached  Bristoe  Station,  about  sunset, 
the  roar  of  a  railroad  train  proceeding  eastward,  was  heard, 
and  dispositions  were  made  to  arrest  it,  by  placing  the  bri 
gade  of  Hays,  under  Colonel  Forno,  across  the  track.  The 
first  train  broke  through  the  obstructions  placed  before  it,  and 
escaped.  Two  others  which  followed  it  were  captured,  but 
were  found  to  contain  nothing.  The  corps  of  Jackson,  had  now 
marched  fifty  miles  in  two  days.  The  whole  army  of  Pope  was 
interposed  between  it  and  its  friends.  They  had  no  supplies 
whatever,  save  those  which  they  might  capture  from  the  enemy. 
But  they  were  between  that  enemy  and  his  capital,  and  were 
cheered  by  the  hope  of  inflicting  a  vital  blow  upon  him  before 
he  escaped.  This  movement  would  be  pronounced  wrong,  if 
judged  by  a  formal  and  common-place  application  of  the  maxims 
of  the  military  art.  But  it  is 'the  very  prerogative  of  true  genius 
to  know  how  to  modify  the  application  of  those  rules  According 
to  circumstances.  It  might  have  been  objected,  that  such  a 
division  of  the  Confederate  army  into  two  parts,  subjected  it  to 
the  risk  of  being  beaten  in  detail ;  that  while  the  Federal  com 
mander  detained  and  amused  one  by  a  detachment,  he  would 
turn  upon  the  other  with  the  chief  weight  of  his  forces,  and  crush 
it  into  fragments.  Had  Pope  been  a  Jackson,  this  danger  would 
have  been  real  j  but  because  Pope  was  but  Pope,  and  General 
Lee  had  a  Jackson  to  execute  the  bold  conception,  and  a  Stuart 
to  mask  his  movement  during  its  progress,  the  risk  was  too  small 
to  forbid  the  attempt.  The  promptitude  of  General  Stuart  in 
seizing  the  only  signal  station  whence  the  line  of  march  could 
possibly  be  perceived,  and  the  secrecy  and  rapidity  of  General 
Jackson  in  pursuing  it,  with  the  energy  of  his  action  when  he 
had  reached  his  goal,  ensured  the  success  of  the  movement. 


HE  ATTACKS  HANASSA'S  JUNCTION.  519 

The  first  care  of  the  General,  after  he  reached  Bristoe,  was  to 
secure  the  vast  stores  accumulated  at  the  Junction,  four  miles 
North.  He  determined  not  to  postpone  this  essential  measure 
until  the  morning,  lest  the  enemy  should  be  able  to  destroy  them ; 
and  he  therefore  accepted  the  offer  of  Brigadier- General  Trim 
ble,  with  the  21st  North  Carolina  and  21st  Georgia  regiments, 
to  volunteer  for  this  service.  Major-General  Stuart  was  ordered 
to  support  the  attack  with  a  part  of  his  cavalry,  and  as  the  supe 
rior  officer  in  rank,  to  command  the  whole  detachment.  The 
two  regiments  of  General  Trimble  had  already  marched  twenty- 
five  miles,  and  the  additional  distance  to  the  Junction  made 
them  thirty ;  but  they  set  out  with  an  eagerness  which  emulated 
that  of  the  cavalry.  Stuart,  having  unmasked  the  enemy's  pick 
ets  in  front  of  the  fortifications  of  Manassa's,  and  having  sent 
the  regiment  of  Wickham  to  the  north,  in  order  to  arrest  the 
retreat  of  the  garrison,  Trimble  placed  his  regiments  in  line 
right  and  left  of  the  railroad,  and  advanced  steadily  to  the  attack. 
The  night  was  rayless,  and  the  artillery  of  the  place  opened  upon 
them  at  short  range.  They  knew  not  what  force  awaited  them 
in  the  darkness,  but  dashing  forward,  they  surmounted  the  works, 
and  seized  two  batteries  of  field  guns,  with  all  their  men  and 
horses,  almost  without  loss  to  themselves.  The  whole  entrench 
ments  now  fell  into  their  hands  without  farther  resistance,  with 
vast  spoils.  This  gallant  attack  was  a  happy  illustration  of  the 
success  which  may  usually  be  expected  from  bold  and  rapid 
movements.  The  place  was  found  crowded  with  stores  for 
Pope's  army,  all  of  which,  with  three  hundred  prisoners,  eight 
field-pieces,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  horses,  fell  into  the  hands 
of  the  victors,  besides  two  miles  of  burden  cars,  laden  with  army 
stores  and  luxuries.  The  sfore-houses  were  found  filled  with 
bacon,  beef,  flour,  and  ammunition.  Everything  was  here  which 
the  Confederates  needed.  The  confessions  of  Pope  show  that 


520  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

the  loss  of  these  stores  was  a  chief  element  of  his  subsequent  dis 
asters.  It  discouraged  and  intimidated  his  men,  and  compelled 
them  to  enter  the  arduous  struggle  of  the  three  bloody  days 
without  adequate  rations  or  ammunition. 

On  the  morning  of  August  27th,  the  two  regiments  of  General 
Trimble,  whg  had  been  under  arms  all  night  were  relieved  by 
General  Jackson's  arrival  from  Bristoe.  He  brought  with  him 
the  divisions  of  A.  P.  Hill  and  Taliaferro,  leaving  that  of  Ewell 
at  Bristoe  to  watch  for  the  approach  of  Pope,  with  orders  to 
make  head  against  him  as  long  as  practicable ;  but  when  pressed 
by  his  main  force,  to  retire  and  join  him  at  Manassa's.  Scarcely 
had  General  Jackson  come  upon  the  ground,  when  a  shot  from  a 
distant  battery  upon  the  left,  announced  the  purpose  of  the  Fed 
eralists  to  contest  it  with  him,  and  a  brigade  made  its  appear 
ance  advancing  along  the  railroad  from  Alexandria.  This  was 
the  detachment  of  Brigadier-General  Taylor,  of  New  Jersey, 
sent  out  by  Halleck  to  re-open  Pope's  communications,  and  to 
brush  away  what  they  supposed  was  a  mere  inroad  of  cavalry. 
They  advanced  with  all  the  confidence  of  ignorance,  until  they 
found  themselves  almost  enveloped  in  the  toils.  The  captured 
guns  were  turned  against  them  by  Stuart  and  Trimble  j  the  bat 
teries  of  Poague  and  Carpenter  poured  destructive  volleys  upon 
them  in  front,  and  the  infantry  of  A.  P.  Hill  threatened  them  on 
both  sides.  General  Jackson  now  pitying  their  desperate  situa 
tion,  rode  toward  them  alone,  waving  a  white  handkerchief  as  a 
signal  of  truce,  inviting  them  to  accept  quarter.  Their  answer 
was  a  volley  of  rifle  balls.  Seeing  his  compassion  thus  requited 
with  treachery,  he  hastened  back  to  his  troops  and  commanded 
them  to  let  loose  their  full  fury  against  their  foes.  •In  a  moment 
the  detachment  was  routed,  their  commander  slain,  and  the  fugi 
tives,  pursued  by  Hill  and  Stuart,  were  cut  to  pieces  and  scat 
tered. 


COMBAT   AT   BRISTOE.  521 

The  General  now  gave  the  wearied  troops  a  respite,  to  recom 
pense  themselves  with  the  spoils,  for  their  labors.  Knowing 
that  means  of  transportation  would  be  utterly  wanting  to  remove 
the  larger  part,  he  allowed  the  men  to  use  and  carry  away  what 
ever  they  were  able  to  appropriate.  And  now  began  a  scene  in 
ludicrous  contrast  with  the  toils  of  the  previous  forced  march. 
Dusty  Confederates  were '  seen  loading  themselves  with  new 
clothing,  boots,  hats,  and  unwonted  luxuries.  The  men  who  had 
for  days  fed  on  nothing  but  green  apples  and  the  roasted  ears 
of  Indian  corn,  now  regaled  themselves  with  sardines,  potted 
game,  and  sweetmeats.  For  several  hours  the  troops  held 
carnival. 

General  Ewell  was  not  allowed  to  remain  unmolested  at  Bris- 
toe  all  the  day.  In  the  afternoon,  heavy  columns  of  Federalists 
were  seen  approaching  on  the  west  of  the  railroad,  from  the 
direction  of  Warrenton.  The  6th  and  8th  Louisiana  regiments 
of  Hays'  brigade,  with  the  60th  Georgia,  were  posted  to  receive 
them,  masked  in  the  edge  of  the  pine  thickets,  and  supported  by 
several  batteries.  Two  heavy  columns  of  the  enemy  advanced 
against  them,  each  consisting  of  not  less  than  a  brigade ;  but 
almost  at  the  first  volley,  they  broke  and  fled  in  confusion,  many 
of  them  throwing  away  their  arms.  Fresh  columns,  however, 
speedily  supplied  their  places,  and  it  was  evident  that  Pope's 
main  force  was  at  hand.  General  Ewell  therefore  gave  the 
word  to  retire,  in  order  to  join  his  friends  at  Manassa's.  This 
retreat,  which  must  be  conducted  in  the  face  of  a  superior  force 
actually  engaged  with  them,  was  a  most  delicate  and  difficult 
work ;  but  was  effected  in  perfect  order,  and  without  loss.  As  the 
three  regiments  which  had  received  the  enemy's  first  attack  were 
withdrawn,  the  brigade  of  Early  took  their  places,  and  held  the 
enemy  in  check,  with  so  much  steadiness  and  adroitness,  that 
the  stream  which  separated  Bristoe  from  Manassa's  was  crossed 

6G 


522  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

safely  without  the  capture  of  a  single  man.  The  Federalists 
then  halted  at  the  former  point,  and  left  Ewell  to  pursue  his 
way  unmolested,  his  rear  covered  by  the  cavalry  regiments  of 
Munford  and  Rosser.  The  Railroad  bridge  across  Broad  Run 
was  now  burned,  and  after  all  the  troops  had  supplied  their 
wants  from  the  captured  stores,  the  remainder  was  destroyed. 
This  task  was  committed  to  the  division  of  Taliaferro,  which 
devoted  to  it  the  early  part  of  the  night,  and  then  retired  toward 
Sudley  Church,  across  the  battle-field  of  July  21st,  1861.  There 
they  were  joined,  on  the  morning  of  the  28th  of  August,  by  the 
division  of  A.  P.  Hill,  which  had  marched  northward  to  Centre- 
ville,  and  then  returned  across  the  Stone  Bridge,  and  by  the 
division  of  Ewell,  which  had  crossed  Bull  Run  and  marched  up 
its  north  bank  until  it  fell  into  the  same  route.  The  cavalry, 
which  had  scoured  the  country  as  far  as  Fairfax  Court  House, 
also  assembled  on  the  flanks  of  the  infantry,  and  the  concentra 
tion  of  the  corps  was  completed. 

General  Jackson  had  now  successfully  executed  the  first  part 
of  the  task  entrusted  to  him.  He  had  pierced  the  enemy's  rear, 
destroyed  his  supplies,  and  secured  a  position  between  him  and  his 
Capital.  But  in  doing  this,  he  had  drawn  upon  himself  the  whole 
of  the  Federal  army,  and  until  the  remainder  of  General  Lee's 
forces  should  arrive,  he  must  either  bear  the  brunt  of  their 
attacks  with  his  single  corps,  reduced  by  straggling  and  casualties 
to  eighteen  thousand  men ;  or  he  must  retire  again  toward  his 
friends,  leaving  Pope's  operations  unobstructed,  and  thus  sur 
render  the  larger  part  of  the  advantages  of  his  brilliant  move 
ments.  Jackson  was  not  the  man  to  do  the  latter ;  he  therefore 
selected  a  position  where  he  could  hope  to  stand  successfully  at 
bay,  and  prevent  Pope's  retreat,  until  sufficient  forces  arrived  to 
deal  with  him  successfully.  One  alternative  was  to  remain  at 
Manassa's  Junction  within  the  old  Confederate  entrenchments-, 


TOPOGKAPHY   OF   SUDLEY.  523 

but  to  this  there  were  many  conclusive  objections.  The  direct 
turnpike  road  from  Warrenton,  where  Pope's  army  was  massed, 
to  Alexandria  ran  five  miles  northwest  of  the  Junction,  and 
would  be  still  left  open :  an  avenue  more  valuable  to  that  Gen 
eral  than  the  railroad,  since  its  bridges  and  trains  were  de 
stroyed.  The  Junction,  moreover,  was  a  post  of  limited  extent, 
ill  furnished  with  water,  situated  in  a  champaign  every  way 
favorable  to  the  operations  of  the  force  having  the  numerical 
superiority,  and  denuded  of  all  cover,  by  the  presence  of  previ 
ous  armies.  The  other  alternative  was  to  retire  to  the  north 
side  of  the  Warrenton  and  Alexandria  turnpike,  nearer  to 
Thoroughfare  Gap  through  which  Longstreet  was  expected  to 
advance,  and  there  occupy  the  stronger  ground,  with  the  advan 
tage  of  retreat  upon  the  Confederate  reserves  in  case  of  disaster. 
From  this  position,  although  the  road  was  not  directly  obstruct 
ed,  yet  the  passage  of  Pope  was  forbidden ;  for  his  army  could 
not  expose  itself  by  marching  past  such  a  leader  as  Jackson, 
who  sat,  with  eighteen  thousand  men,  ready  to  pounce  upon  its 
exposed  flanks. 

If  the  reader  will  recall  the  description  of  the  battle-field  of 
the  first  Manassa's  he  will  have  before  him  the  position  assumed 
by  Jackson.  The  Warrenton  turnpike,  running  due  east  toward 
Alexandria,  is  crossed  at  right  angles,  a  mile  and  half  before  it 
passes  the  Bull  Run  at  the  stone  bridge,  by  the  country  road 
which  proceeds,  northward  from  the  Junction  to  Sudley  ford,  at 
which  the  Federal  right  first  crossed  the  stream  on  the  morning 
of  July  21st,  1861.  At  this  ford,  Jackson  now  rested  his  left 
wing,  protected  by  the  cavalry  brigade  of  Robertson,  while  his 
right  stretched  eastward  across  the  hills,  in  a  line  oblique  to  the 
course  of  Bull  Run,  toward  the  road  by  which  Longstreet  was 
expected  from  Thoroughfare  Gap.  His  front  was  nearly  par 
allel  to  the  Warrenton  turnpike,  and  distant  from  it,  between  one 


524 


LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 


2nd    MANASSA'S. 


FIRST  DAY'S  BATTLE.  525 

and  two  miles.  The  division  of  A.  P.  Hill  formed  his  left,  that 
of  Ewell  his  centre,  and  that  of  Taliaferro,  strengthened  by  the 
remainder  of  the  cavalry  and  the  horse-artillery  of  Pelliam,  his 
right. 

Scarcely  had  these  dispositions  been  completed,  when  the  ene 
my  was  found  to  be  advancing  along  the  Warrenton  turnpike  in 
heavy  masses,  as  though  to  force  his  way  back  to  Alexandria. 
Mid-day  had  now  arrived.  The  second  brigade  of  Taliaferro's 
division,  under  the  temporary  command  of  Colonel  Bradley  T. 
Johnson,  which  had  been  detached  to  watch  the  turnpike,  was 
directed  to  skirmish  with  the  front  of  the  Federal  column,  and 
obstruct  their  advance.  The  remainder  of  the  division  of  Talia- 
ferro,  supported  by  that  of  Ewell,  was  marched  by  its  right  flank 
and  toward  the  turnpike,  to  attack  the  enemy  in  flank.  He,  per 
ceiving  this  movement,  and  the  obstruction  in  his  front,  at  first 
attempted  to  file  his  masses  across  the  open  country  toward 
Manassa's  Junction,  as  though  to  seek  some  passage  over  Bull 
Run  below  the  stone  bridge.  But  Jackson  now  threw  forward 
his  line  with  so  much  energy  as  to  compel  him  to  relinquish  this 
movement,  and  make  a  stand.  The  batteries  of  Wooding,  Car 
penter,  and  Poague  were  advanced  to  an  elevated  hill  upon  the 
left  and  rear  of  Taliaferro's  line  of  skirmishers,  whence  they 
delivered  so  effective  a  fire  of  shell  and  solid  shot  upon  the 
dense  lines  of  the  Federalists,  that  their  numerous  batteries  were 
halted,  and  placed  in  position  to  reply.  The  Confederate  artil 
lery  was  then  promptly  removed  to  another  position  upon  Talia 
ferro's  right,  whence  they  were  enabled  to  enfilade  the  Federal 
guns ;  and  the  infantry  line  was  again  pressed  forward,  with  its 
front  parallel  to  the  "Warrenton  turnpike,  and  within  a  hundred 
yards  of  it.  Sunset  was  now  near  at  hand,  when  a  struggle  com 
menced  unprecedented  in  its  fury.  On  Taliaferro's  right,  the  par 
tial  screen  of  an  orchard  and  a  cluster  of  farm-buildings  separated 


526  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

him  from  the  highway,  which  was  occupied  by  the  Federal  infantry. 
But,  on  his  left,  his  line  occupied  the  open  field,  and  received  and 
returned  their  volleys  at  the  distance  of  a  hundred  yards.  Until 
nine  o'clock  at  night,  the  first,  third,  and  fourth  brigades  main 
tained  a  stubborn  contest  upon  this  ground  with  successive  lines 
of  the  enemy,  when  the  latter  sullenly  retired,  and  gave  up  the 
field.  On  the  left  of  Taliaferro,  Ewell,  with  a  part  of  his  forces, 
waged  a  contest  of  almost  equal  fury,  and  with  the  same  results, 
when  the  darkness  closed  the  battle,  and  the  Confederates 
remained  masters  of  the  field.  In  this  bloody  affair,  both  the 
Commanders  of  the  divisions  engaged,  with  many  field-officers, 
were  wounded,  Taliaferro  painfully,  and  Ewell  severely.  The 
latter  was  struck  upon  the  knee  by  a  rifle-ball,  and  the 
joint  was  so  shattered  that  amputation  was  necessary  to  save 
his  life.  During  the  remainder  of  Jackson's  career  he  was 
unable  to  return  to  the  field,  and  the  General  was  deprived  of 
his  valued  co-operation.  The  first  of  the  three  bloody  days  was 
now  closed,  and  Jackson  stoutly  held  his  own.  With  one  more 
struggle  his  safety  would  be  assured;  for  the  Commancler-in- 
Chief,  with  the  corps  of  Longstreet,  leaving  the  neighborhood  of 
Jeffersonton  on  the  afternoon  of  the  26th,  and  following  the  route 
of  Jackson  through  upper  Fauquier,  was  now  at  the  western  out 
let  of  Thoroughfare  Gap,  preparing  to  force  his  way  through,  the 
next  morning,  and  come  to  the  relief  of  the  laboring  advance. 
On  the  morning  of  the  29th  this  pass  was  forced;  and  the  corps 
of  Longstreet,  stimulated  by  the  sound  of  the  distant  cannon, 
which  told  them  that  Jackson  was  struggling  with  the  enemy, 
hurried  along  the  road  to  Gainesville,  where  they  entered  the 
Warrenton  turnpike.  Before  they  reached  that  village,  the 
indefatigable  Stuart,  with  his  cavalry,  met  them,  opened  their 
communication  with  Jackson's  right  wing,  and  informed  the 
Commander-in- Chief  of  the  posture  of  affairs. 


APPROACH   OF   LONGSTREET.  527 

But  the  narrative  must  return  to  the  lines  of  General  Jackson. 
Anxiously  did  that  General  watch  the  distant  road  which  led 
from  Thoroughfare  Gap  down  to  the  "Warrenton  turnpike,  on  the 
morning  of  the  29th.  His  little  army  was  now  manifestly  con 
fronted  by  the  whole  Federal  host,  which,  concentrating  itself 
more  toward  his  left,  was  preparing  to  force  him  back  from  Bull 
Run,  and  to  crush  him  before  his  supports  could  arrive.  His 
lines,  exhausted  by  their  almost  superhuman  exertions,  thinned 
by  battle,  and  pallid  with  hunger,  stood  grimly  at  bay ;  but  the 
stoutest  hearts  were  anxious,  in  view  of  the  more  terrible  struggle 
before  them.  In  the  early  morning,  clouds  of  dust  arising  along 
the  Thoroughfare  road  had  mocked  their  hopes ;  but  they  were 
raised  by  the  Federalists,  who,  having  occupied  that  pass  the  day 
before  to  obstruct  the  march  of  Longstree.t,  were  now  retiring 
upon  their  masses  toward  Bristoe  Station.  As  the  day  verged 
toward  the  meridian,  other  and  denser  clouds  again  arose,  along 
the  same  highway ;  and  soon  the  couriers  of  Stuart  came,  with 
the  welcome  news,  that  it  was  the  corps  of  Longstreet,  advancing 
to  connect  with  the  right  of  Jackson.  Already  the  Federalists, 
warned  of  the  shortness  of  their  time,  had  begun  the  attack  by  a 
heavy  cannonade  upon  that  part  of  his  position,  at  ten  o'clock. 
The  batteries  of  Taliaferro's  division  now  commanded  by  the  brave 
General  Starke,  replied.  But  the  head  of  General  Longstreet's 
column  was  now  at  hand,  and  threatened  to  insinuate  itself 
behind  the  Federal  left.  They  therefore  shifted  their  demon 
stration  to  Jackson's  left,  opening  upon  that  part  of  his  position 
with  a  furious  cannonade,  and  preparing  vast  masses  of  infantry 
to  force  it.  While  Longstreet  deployed  his  line  across  the 
Warrenton  turnpike,  -and  fronting  toward  the  east,  Jackson's 
corps  was  now  disposed  at  right  angles  to  it,  along  the  excava 
tions  and  embankments  of  an  unfinished  railroad,  which,  crossing 
Bull  Run  a  half  mile  below  Sudley,  ran  westward,  parallel  to  the 


528  LIFE    OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Warrcnton  turnpike.  This  work  had  been  begun  to  connect 
the  city  of  Alexandria  directly  with  the  Manassa's  Gap  road 
near  Thoroughfare.  Running  across  the  hills  and  vales  of  an 
undulating  country,  and  presenting  now  an  elevated  embankment 
and  anon  a  cut,  it  offered  to  the  Confederates  almost  the  advan 
tages  of  a  regular  field-work.  Here  General  Jackson  had 
arranged  his  infantry  in  two  lines  of  battle,  with  the  artillery 
chiefly  posted  upon  eminences  in  the  rear.  A.  P.  Hill  formed 
his  left,  Ewell  his  centre,  and  Starke  his  right.  An  interval 
between  his  right  and  the  left  of  Longstreet  was  occupied  by  a 
large  collection  of  the  artillery  of  the  latter,  posted  upon  a  large 
hill,  whence  they  assisted,  by  their  fire,  in  the  repulse  of  the 
enemy  on  cither  hand.  Pope,  now  contenting  himself  with 
showing  a  front  against  Longstreet,  began,  at  two  o'clock,  P.  M., 
to  hurl  his  infantry  with  fury  and  determination  against  the 
lines  of  Jackson.  Especially  did  the  storm  of  battle  rage  in 
front  of  the  left,  occupied  by  the  division  of  A.  P.  Hill.  In 
defiance  of  his  deadly  fire,  delivered  from  the  shelter  of  the 
railroad  embankments,  line  after  line  was  advanced  to  close 
quarters,  only  to  be  mowed  down,  and  to  recoil  in  confusion. 
Soon  the  second  line  of  Hill  was  advanced  to  the  support  of  the 
first.  Six  times  the  Federalists  rushed  forward  in  separate  and 
obstinate  assaults,  and  as  many  times  were  repulsed.  At  an 
interval  between  the  brigade  of  Gregg,  on  the  extreme  left,  and 
that  of  Thomas,  the  enemy  broke  across  in  great  numbers,  and 
threatened  to  separate  the  former  from  his  friends,  and  surround 
him.  But  two  regiments  of  the  reserve,  advancing  within  ten 
paces  of  the  triumphant  foe,  poured  such  volleys  into  their  dense 
masses  that  they  were  hurled  back  before  this  murderous  fire, 
and  the  lines  re-established.  The  brigade  of  Hays  from  the 
division  of  Ewcll,  now  commanded  by  General  Lawton,  was  first 
brought  to  the  support  of  Gregg.  The  struggle  raged  until  the 


SECOND  DAY'S  BATTLE.  520 

cartridges  of  the  infantry  were  in  many  places  exhausted.  When 
Hill  sent  to  the  gallant  Gregg  to  ask  if  he  could  hold  his  own. 
he  answered,  "  Tell  him  I  have  no  ammunition,  but  I  will  hold 
my  position  with  the  bayonet."  In  several  places,  the  Confed 
erate  lines,  without  a  single  round  of  cartridges,  lay  in  the 
railroad  cuts,  within  a  few  yards  of  their  enemies,  sternly 
defying  their  nearer  approach  with  the  cold  steel,  while  the 
staff-officers  from  the  rear  sent  in  a  scanty  supply  of  ammunition, 
by  the  hand  of  some  daring  volunteer,  who  ventured  to  run  the 
gantlet  of  a  deadly  fire  to  reach  them.  In  other  parts  the  men, 
laying  aside  their  empty  muskets,  seized  the  stones  which  lay 
near,  and  with  them  beat  back  the  foe.  When  the  bloody  field 
was  reviewed,  not  a  few  were  found  whose  skulls  were  broken 
with  these  primitive  weapons.  But  the  strength  of  the  extreme 
left  was  now  exhausted  by  seven  hours  of  strife ;  nature  could 
do  no  more;  and  General  Jackson  ordered  Early,  with  his 
brigade. and  the  8th  Louisiana  and  13th  Georgia,  to  relieve 
Gregg  and  Hays.  The  enemy  had  by  this  time  occupied  a 
considerable  tract  of  the  railroad,  and  the  woods  in  front  of  it. 
Early  advanced  upon  them,  drove  them  out  of  the  thickets  and 
across  the  excavation  with  fearful  slaughter,  and  pursued  them 
for  a  distance  beyond  it,  when  he  was  recalled  to  the  original 
line.  With  this  magnificent  charge,  the  struggle  of  the  day 
closed.  It  had  raged  in  similar  manner  along  the  centre,  where 
that  sturdy  veteran,  Brigadier-General  Trimble,  was  severely 
wounded.  But  the  carnage  upon  the  left  was  most  ghastly. 
Here  might  be  seen  upon  the  fields,  the  black  lines  of  corpses, 
clearly  defining  the  positions  where  the  Federal  lines  of  battle 
had  stood  and  received  the  deadly  volleys  of  the  Confederates  ; 
while  the  woods  and  railroad  cuts  were  thickly  strewn  for  a 
mile  with  killed  and  wounded.  In  the  division  of  Hill  the  loss 
was  also  serious ;  and  among  the  severely  wounded  were  two 

67 


530  LIFE    OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

brigade  commanders,  Field  and  Forno.  During  the  heat  of  the 
battle,  a  detachment  of  Federal  troops  had  penetrated  to  Jack 
son's  rear,  near  Sudley  Church,  and  captured  a  few  wounded 
men  and  ambulances.  The  horse  artillery  of  Pelham,  with  a 
battalion  of  cavalry,  under  Major  Patrick,  speedily  brushed  the 
annoyance  away,  and  recovered  the  captures.  But  this  incident 
cost  the  army  the  loss  of  one  of  its  most  enlightened  and  efficient 
officers,  the  chivalrous  Patrick,  who  was  mortally  wounded  while 
pursuing  the  fugitives. 

While  this  struggle  was  raging  along  Jackson's  lines,  the  corps 
of  Longstreet  continued  to  confront  the  observing  force  of 
Federalists  before  them,  and  the  batteries  of  his  left  engaged 
those  of  the  enemy  in  a  severe  cannonade.  As  the  afternoon 
advanced,  Stuart  reported  to  him  the  approach  of  a  heavy 
column  of  the  enemy  upon  his  right  and  rear,  from  the  direction 
of  Bristoe.  This  was  indeed  a  corps  of  the  army  of  M'Clellan 
from  the  peninsula,  which,  landing  on  the  Potomac,  had  been 
pushed  forward  to  support  Pope.  Against  this  new  enemy  Long- 
street  showed  a  front,  while  Stuart,  raising  a  mighty  dust  along 
the  road  near  Gainsville,  by  causing  a  number  of  his  troopers  to 
drag  bundles  of  brushwood  along  the  highway,  persuaded  him 
that  some  heavy  mass  of  fresh  Confederate  troops  was  advanc 
ing  from  Thoroughfare  to  meet  his  assault  upon  Longstreet's 
right.  The  Federal  commander  therefore  recoiled,  after  a  feeble 
demonstration ;  and,  passing  by  a  circuit  to  the  eastward,  sought 
to  unite  himself  with  the  forces  in  front  of  Jackson.  Longstreet 
now  advanced  several  brigades  to  the  attack,  with  those  of  Hood 
in  the  van,  and  until  nine  o'clock  at  night,  drove  back  the  enemy 
before  him  with  great  vigor,  capturing  a  number  of  prisoners,  a 
cannon,  and  three  colors.  Darkness  then  closed  the  bloody  day, 
and  the  Confederates  on  every  side  withdrew  to  lie  upon  their 
arms  upon  their  selected  lines  of  combat.  From  this  respite, 


LEE  RESUMES  THE  DEFENSIVE.  531 

the  boastful  Pope  took  the  pretext  to  despatch  to  his  masters  a 
pompous  bulletin  of  victory,  claiming  that  the  Confederates  were 
repulsed  on  all  hands !  With  a  stupidity  equal  to  his  impu 
dence;  he  concealed  from  himself  the  fact  that  this  lull  in  the 
tempest  was  but  the  prelude  to  its  final  and  resistless  burst. 
The  mighty  huntsman  now  had  the  brutal  game  secure  in  his 
toils,  and  only  awaited  the  moment  of  his  exhaustion  to  despatch 
him. 

As  Jackson  gathered  his  officers  around  him  in  the  darkness, 
at  the  close  of  this  second  act  of  the  tragedy,  and  prepared  to  lie 
down  for  a  short  repose  under  the  open  sky,  their  triumph  wore 
a  solemn  hue.  A  week  of  marching  and  fighting,  without  any 
regular  supply  for  their  wants,  had  worn  down  their  energies  to  a 
grade  where  nothing  but  a  determined  will  could  sustain  them. 
Many  of  the  bravest  and  best  had  fallen,  and  the  sufferers  and 
the  dead  were  all  around  them.  The  Medical  Director,  Doctor 
M'Guire,  recounting  the  many  casualties  which  he  had  witnessed, 
said,  "  General,  this  day  has  been  won  by  nothing  but  stark  and 
stern  fighting."  "No,"  said  Jackson,  "It  has  been  won  by 
nothing  but  the  blessing  and  protection  of  Providence."  It  was 
strong  evidence  of  the  devout  spirit  of  the  patriot  troops,  that 
amidst  all  these  fatigues  and  horrors,  they  yet  found  time  for 
acts  of  devotion.  The  Chaplains,  after  spending  the  clay  in 
attentions  to  the  wounded,  at  nightfall  returned  to  their  regi 
ments,  and  gathered  such  groups  in  the  woods  as  could  be  spared 
from  the  watches,  where  they  spent  a  season  in  prayer  and 
praise.  Many  were  the  brave  men  who  joined  in  these  strange 
and  solemn  prayer-meetings,  whose  next  worship  was  offered  in 
the  upper  sanctuary. 

The  advance  of  Longstreet  at  nightfall,  upon  the  Confederate 
right  had  disclosed  the  fact  that  the  Federalists  were  posted,  in 
heavy  masses,  upon  a  position  of  great  natural  strength.  The 


53U  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

choice  offered  to  General  Lee  now  was,  to  leave  the  favorable 
ground  which  he  had  chosen,  and  taking  the  aggressive,  to  dis 
lodge  them  at  a  great  cost :  or  else  to  await  their  attack,  with 
the  prospect  of  turning  their  retreat  into  a  disaster  if  they 
attempted  to  cross  Bull  Run  in  his  immediate  front  and  retire 
without  fighting.  He  well  knew  that  Pope  would  scarcely  be  so 
rash  as  to  attempt  the  latter  expedient ;  for  the  two  armies  were 
now  at  such  close  quarters,  that  there  was  no  room  for  either  to 
turn  away  without  a  deadly  side  blow  from  the  other ;  and  the 
Federal  commander  had  been  so  obliging,  as  to  manoeuvre  him 
self  into  a  position  which  had  the  stream  immediately  in  its  rear, 
with  two  practicable  crossings  for  artillery,  of  which  one  was  a 
stone  arch  which  a  few  well  directed  round  shot  might  have  dis 
mantled.  General  Lee,  therefore,  calmly  awaited  the  final  strug- 
ple,  standing  on  the  defensive  in  his  previous  lines.  These 
formed  a  vast,  obtuse  fourchette,  presenting  its  concavity  toward 
the  enemy.  The  left  of  Longstreet  did  not  touch  the  right  of 
Jackson  at  the  angle ;  but  a  space  of  half  a  mile  between  the 
two  was  occupied  by  an  elevated  ridge,  which  commanded  the 
fronts  of  both  wings.  This  hill  was  now  crowned  with  the  artil 
lery,  battalions  of  Shumaker  of  Jackson's  corps,  and  S.  D.  Lee  of 
Longstreet's,  making  an  aggregate  of  thirty-sis  pieces.  From 
this  arrangement  it  resulted,  first,  that  the  troops  of  Pope,  oper 
ating  within  the  jaws  of  the  Confederate  army,  would  naturally 
become  more  densely  massed  than  their  opponents,  and  would 
thus  afford  a  more  certain  mark  for  their  accurate  fire ;  which 
no  force  on  earth  could  ever  face  in  close  order,  without  mur 
derous  loss.  The  second  result  was,  that  the  superior  momentum 
of  the  Federal  masses  must  yet  result  only  in  a  bloody  failure, 
when  hurled  against  either  wing  of  the  Confederates,  because  they 
would  be  enfiladed  from  the  other  wing.  By  these  dispositions, 
the  battle  was  decided  before  it  was  fought.  The  only  gleam  of 


THE   THIRD    DAY'S   BATTLE.  533 

good  sense  which  the  ill  starred  Federal  leader  showed,  was  in 
delaying  the  decisive  hour  until  the  late  afternoon ;  so  that  the 
friendly  darkness  might  speedily  supervene  .upon  the  disaster 
which  was  destined  to  follow,  and  save '  him  from  utter  destruc 
tion.  The  forenoon  of  Saturday,  August  30th,  was  therefore 
spent  in  a  desultory  cannonade,  addressed  first  to  one,  and  then 
to  another  part  of  the  Confederate  lines,  with  irregular  skirmishes 
interspersed.  He  was  employed  in  disposing  his  infantry,  under 
cover  of  the  woods  and  valleys,  chiefly  in  Jackson's  front ;  for 
against  him  he  again  destined  his  main  attack.  The  infantry  of 
the  latter  was  still  posted  along  the  unfinished  railroad,  in  two 
lines,  the  first  sheltered,  where  the  ground  was  favorable,  by  the 
excavations  and  embankments,  and  the  second  massed  upon  the 
wooded  hills  above.  At  half  past  three  o'clock,  the  enemy  made 
a  show  of  attack  along,  the  lines  of  Longstreet.  But  scarcely 
had  this  begun,  when  they  advanced,  without  preliminary  skir 
mishing,  in  enormous  masses,  against  Jackson.  Three  lines  of 
battle  surged  forward  like  mighty  waves,  and  rolled  up  to  the 
Confederate  position.  As  one  recoiled  before  their  fire,  another 
took  its  place,  with  a  dogged  resolution,  as  though  determined  to 
break  through  by  sheer  weight  of  numbers.  The  Federal  flags 
were  planted  sometimes  within  twenty  paces  of  the  excavations 
which  contained  the  opposing  line ;  and  again  the  Confederates, 
after  exhausting  their  ammunition,  resorted  to  the  stones  of  the 
field  to  beat  back  their'  assailants.  When  this  furious  struggle 
had  raged  for  half  an  hour,  and  the  wearied  lines  of  Jackson  was 
yielding  at  some  points,  he  sent  word  to  Longstreet  to  move  for 
his  relief.  But  his  desire  was  already  anticipated ;  the  artillery 
in  the  centre  was  advanced,  and  wherever  the  attacking  lines 
of  Federalists  exposed  themselves  before  Jackson's  front,  it 
showered  a  crushing  and  enfilading  fire  upon  them.  The  third 
and  second  lines  were  first  broken,  and  the  woods  in  which  they 


534  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENEEAL   JACKSON. 

attempted  to  rally  searched  with  shells.  Meantime,  the  artillery 
of  E well's  and  Hill's  divisions,  from  Jackson's  rear  and'  left, 
joined  in  the  melte  as  position  offered.  Before  this  fire  in  front 
and  flank,  the  Federal  lines  wavered,  broke,  and  resolved  them 
selves  into  huge  hordes  of  men,  without  order  or  guidance. 
General  Jackson  now  ordered  the  advance  of  his  whole  line  of 
infantry;  and  the  Commandcr-in-Chief,  seeing  that  the  moment 
for  the  final  blow  had  come,  sent  a  similar  order  to  his  right 
wing.  But  its  energetic  leader  had  divined  his  wishes,  and  had 
already  begun  the  movement.  Over  several  miles  of  hill  and 
dale,  of  field  and  forest,  the  two  lines  now  swept  forward,  with  a 
terrible  grandeur,  closing  upon  the  disordered  masses  of  the 
enemy  like  the  jaws  of  a  leviathan;  while  Jackson  upon  the 
left,  and  Stuart  upon  the  right,  urged  forward  battery  after  bat 
tery  at  a  gallop,  to  sieze  every  commanding  hill  whence  they 
could  fire  between  the  gaps,  or  over  the  heads  of  the  infantry, 
and  plough  up  the  huddled  crowds  of  fugitives.  But  at  many 
points,  these  did  not  yield  without  stubborn  resistance.  The 
brigades  of  Jackson  dashed  at  them  with  fierce  enthusiasm,  and 
such  scenes  of  close  encounter  and  murderous  strife  were  wit 
nessed,  as  are  not  often  seen  on  fields  of  battle.  The  supreme 
hour  of  vengeance  had  now  come ;  in  the  expressive  phrase  of 
Cromwell,  the  victors  "  had  their  will  upon  their  enemies."  As 
they  drove  them  for  two  miles  toward  Bull  Run,  they  strewed 
the  ground  with  slaughter,  until  fury  itself  was  sated  and 
fatigued  with  the  carnival  of  blood.  And  now,  night  again 
closed  upon  the  third  act  of  the  tragedy,  black  with  a  double 
gloom  of  the  battle  smoke  and  a  gathering  storm ;  but  still  the 
pursuers  plied  their  work  with  cannon  shot  and  fierce  volleys, 
fired  into  the  populous  darkness  before  them.  At  ten  o'clock 
they  ceased  their  pursuit,  for  they  found  that  amidst  the  confu 
sion  of  the  field,  and  the  obscurity,  friend  could  no  longer  be 


THE   ROUT   AXD    CARNAGE.  5d5 

distinguished  from  foe.  The  army  then  lay  down  to  rost  upon 
the  ground  they  had  won ;  while  all  night  long,  the  broken  frag 
ments  of  the  Federalists  were  stealing  across  the  stream,  and 
retreating  to  the  heights  of  Centreville. 

In  this  three  days'  battle,  the  Confederate  loss  was  heavy, 
but  that  of  their  enemies  was  frightful.  Compared  to  it,  the  car 
nage  of  the  Chickahominy  was  child's  play.  The  bloody  field 
told  the  story  of  the  disproportion  for  itself,  and  when  the  Fed 
eral  surgeons  came  upon  it  under  a  flag  of  truce,  such  was  the 
multitude  of  the  wounded  lying  helpless  upon  it,  that  days  were 
exhausted  in  collecting  them,  while  many  wretches  perished 
miserably  of  neglect  during  the  delay.  This  disproportionate 
carnage  was  due  to  the  masterly  handling  of  the  Confederate 
troops,  to  their  advantageous  position,  to  the  density  of  the  ene 
my's  masses,  and  especially  to  the  terrible  moment  of  the  rout, 
when  the  work  of  destruction  was  pursued,  for  a  time,  without 
resistance.  The  Sabbath  morning  dawned  upon  a  scene  in  most 
fearful  contrast  with  its  peace  and  sanctity.  The  storm  which 
had  gathered  during  the  night  was  descending  in  a  comfortless 
rain,  drenching  the  ghastly  dead,  the  miserable  wounded,  and  the 
weary  victors.  The  soldiers  of  Jackson  arose  from  the  ground 
stiffened  with  the  cold,  and  after  devoting  a  few  hours  to 
refreshment,  resumed  the  march,  while  those  of  Longstreet 
remained  to  bury  the  dead  and  collect  the  spoils.  Stuart  had 
reported  that  he  found  the  enemy  rallied  upon  the  heights  of 
Centreville,  commanding  the  Warrenton  turnpike,  where  General 
Joseph  E.  Johnston  had  constructed  a  powerful  line  of  works, 
the  first  winter  of  the  war,  which  were  capable  of  defence  either 
in  front  or  rear.  Here  the  fragments  of  Pope,  supported  by 
large  reinforcements  from  the  army  of  M'Clellan,  again  showed  a 
front  against  the  pursuers.  Jackson  was  therefore  directed  to 
turn  this  position,  and  compel  the  retreat  of  the  enemy  from  it 


53 G  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

without  a  battle.  To  effect  this,  he  crossed  the  Bull  Run  at 
Sucllcy,  and  marching  northward  by  a  country  road,  came  the 
next  day  into  the  Little  River  turnpike,  which  leads  eastward, 
and  intersects  the  Warrenton  road  at  Fairfax  Court  House,  far 
in  the  rear  of  Centrcville.  No  sooner  was  this  movement  per 
ceived  by  the  enemy,  than  they  resumed  a  hasty  retreat.  But  as 
their  crowded  column  approached  Fairfax  Court  House,  they 
found  Jackson  at  hand,  prepared  to  strike  their  line  of  march 
from  the  side.  They  therefore  detached  a  strong  force  to  make 
head  against  him,  and  posted  it  upon  a  ridge  near  the  little  ham 
let  of  Germantown.  As  soon  as  Jackson  ascertained  the  position 
of  this  force,  ho  threw  his  infantry  into  line  of  battle,  Hill  on  the 
right,  Ewell  in  the  centre,  and  his  old  division  on  the  left,  and 
advanced  to  the  assault.  The  enemy,  knowing  that  the  salvation 
of  their  army  depended  upon  them,  made  a  desperate  resistance, 
and  the  combat  assumed  a  sudden  fury  in  the  front  of  Hill,  equal 
to  that  of  any  previous  struggle.  The  enemy  were  encouraged 
by  a  momentary  success  in  breaking  Haves'  brigade,  but  his  lines 
were  immediately  reinstated  by  the  reserves,  and  after  a  short 
but  bloody  strife,  the  battle  died  away  as  suddenly  as  it  had 
begun,  and  the  enemy  retired  in  the  darkness.  This  affair, 
which  was  known  as  the  battle  of  Ox  Hill,  closed  the  evening  of 
September  1st.  Its  thunders  were  aggravated  by  those  of  a 
tempest,  which  burst  upon  the  combatants  just  before  the  battle 
was  joined,  and  the  Confederates  fought  under  the  disadvan 
tage  of  the  rain,  which  was  swept  by  a  violent  wind  directly  into 
their  faces.  Two  Federal  Generals  fell  here,  in  front  of  Hill's 
division,  Kearney  and  Stephens,  and  their  death  doubtless  com 
pleted  the  discouragement  of  their  troops.  The  next  morning, 
the  Federalists  were  within  reach  of  their  powerful  works  before 
Washington,  and  the  pursuit  was  arrested.  The  Commander-in- 
chief  now  purposed  to  transfer  the  strife  to  a  new  arena. 


HIS   SHARE   IX   THE  VICTORY.  537 

The  total  loss  of  the  Confederate  army  in  this  series  of  battles 
was  about  seven  thousand  five  hundred,  of -whom  eleven  hundred 
were  killed  upon  the  field.  Of  this  loss,  nearly  five  thousand 
fell  upon  the  corps  of  Jackson ;  out  of  which  number  eight  hun 
dred  and  five  officers  and  men  were  killed.  The  captures  from 
him,  in  the  whole  of  the  long  struggle,  amounted  to  only  thirty- 
five.  The  excessive  loss  in  his  command  is  explained  by  the 
fact  that  it  was  always  the  advance,  and  that  the  enemy  continu 
ally  directed  the  chief  fury  of  his  attacks  upon  him.  The  results 
of  the  battle  of  Manassa's  were  the  capture  of  seven  thousand 
prisoners,  in  addition  to  two  thousand  wounded  left  in  the  hands 
of  the  Confederates ;  with  twenty  thousand  small  arms,  thirty 
pieces  of  artillery,  numerous  colors,  and  a  large  amount  of  stores  j 
and  the  deliverance  of  Northern  Virginia  from  the  footsteps  of 
the  invader,  save  where  he  still  clung  to  a  few  miles  along  the 
Potomac  included  within  his  works.  General  Jackson  closed 
his  Report  of  the  Campaign  with  these  words :  — 

"  For  these  great  and  signal  victories  our  sincere  and  humble 
thanks  are  due  unto  Almighty  God.  We  should  in  all  things 
acknowledge  the  hand  of  Him  who  reigns  in  Heaven,  and  rules 
among  the  armies  of  men.  In  view  of  the  arduous  labors  and 
great  privations  the  troops  were  called  to  endure,  and  the  iso 
lated  and  perilous  position  which  the  command  occupied,  while 
engaged  with  greatly  superior  numbers  of  the  enemy,  we  can  but 
express  the  grateful  conviction  of  our  mind,  that  God  was  with 
us,  and  gave  us  the  victory ;  and  unto  His  holy  name  be  the 
praise." 

Few  words  are  needed  to  point  out  the  share  which  Jackson 
and  his  corps  merited,  in  the  glory  of  the  second  victory  of  Ma 
nassa's.  To  the  rapidity  of  his  march,  the  promptitude  and  skill 
of  his  action  in  seizing  and  destroying  the  Junction,  the  wisdom 
which  guided  his  selection  of  a  position,  and  the  heroic  tenacity 

G8 


538  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENEEAL   JACKSOX. 

with  which  he  held  it  against  fearful  odds  until  the  arrival  of 
General  Lee,  was  the  splendid  result  chiefly  due.  It  was  so 
ordered,  as  if  to  illustrate  the  superior  prowess  of  the  Confed 
erate  soldiery,  that  in  this  battle  the  positions  of  the  combatants 
in  July,  1861,  were  almost  precisely  reversed.  The  ground  held 
by  Jackson  in  the  second  battle,  was  that  held  by  McDowell  in 
the  first;  and  the  ground  from  which  the  Confederates  drove 
Pope,  at  nightfall,  the  30th  of  August,  was  that  from  which 
McDowell  could  not  drive  them,  on  the  21st  of  July;  while  the 
preponderance  of  numbers  was  still  upon  the  Federal  side. 

The  blunders  of  Pope  in  this  short  campaign,  —  which  were 
almost  as  numerous  as  it  was  possible  to  make  them,  —  are  an 
instructive  study  to  the  commanders  of  armies.  First,  it  was 
little  short  of  lunacy  to  adopt,  in  Culpepper,  a  line  of  operations 
along  the  Orange  Railroad,  and  even  west  of  it,  which  was  paral 
lel  to  the  Rapid  Ann  —  the  temporary  base  of  the  Confederates 
—  in  the  presence  of  such  masters  of  the  art  of  war  as  Lee  and 
Jackson.  Instead  of  extending  his  right  so  far  toward  Madison, 
with  the  preposterous  design  of  turning  Gordonsville,  upon  the 
west,  he  should  have  directed  the  head  of  his  column  toward  the 
lower  course  of  the  Rapid  Ann,  and  perpendicular  to  it.  He 
would  thus  have  covered  his  own  line  of  advance ;  and,  if  he  suc 
ceeded  in  crossing  that  river,  would  have  uncovered  the  commu 
nications  of  his  adversary,  which  would  then  have  been  by  the 
Central  Railroad.  Nothing  but  the  delay  of  Lee's  reserves  in 
reaching  Raccoon  Ford,  saved  Pope  here  from  a  disaster  far 
worse  than  that  of  Manassa's.  Second :  after  retiring  across  the 
Rappahannock,  —  which  was  a  measure  dictated  by  so  stringent 
a  necessity  that  a  fool  could  not  err  therein,  —  he  repeated  the 
old,  but  seductive  folly,  of  attempting  to  hold  a  river  as  a  defen 
sive  line,  by  extending  his  whole  force  along  its  immediate  bank, 
to  watch  and  resist  the  passage  of  his  opponent.  Although  a 


EEMARKS.  539 

river  is,  to  some  extent,  a  barrier  to  the  assailant  attempting  to 
cross  it  in  the  face  of  a  force  defending  it ;  yet,  if  the  latter  con 
signs  itself  to  the  stationary  defensive  along  its  banks,  the  other  is 
always  enabled  thereby  to  baffle  his  vigilance  at  some  one  point ; 
or  to  mass  at  a  single  spot  a  preponderance  of  force,  which  will 
more  than  compensate  him  for  the  resistance  of  the  natural 
obstruction,  and  break  its  way  over  it.  Then  the  barrier,  broken 
at  one  point,  becomes  useless,  and  must  be  forsaken  at  all.  Such 
was  the  result  here ;  the  stream  was  passed  above  Pope's  right, 
before  he  was  in  condition  to  prevent  it.  His  next  mistake  was 
in  the  singular  inefficiency  of  his  cavalry,  which  seems  to  have 
been  more  busy  in  harrying  the  hen-roosts  of  the  citizens,  than 
in  ascertaining  whither  the  swift-footed  Jackson  was  bent,  when 
he  disappeared  to  the  northwest  from  his  position  before  War- 
renton  Springs.  Thus  Pope  was  left  in  a  shameful  ignorance, 
even  after  his  communications  were  cut  at  Bristoe  Station, 
whether  it  was  done  by  a  serious  force,  or  by  an  audacious 
incursion  of  horse.  But  on  the  evening  of  the  2  7th,  at  least,  ho 
was  taught,  in  a  bloody  lesson  by  Ewell,  that  he  had  a  formida 
ble  foe  in  his  rear.  The  plainest  deduction  might  have  convinced 
him,  that  such  a  General  as  Lee  would  not  have  placed  such  a 
body  of  infantry  and  artillery,  as  he  saw  grimly  confronting  him 
across  Broad  Run  at  the  close  of  that  combat,  so  far  from  its 
base,  without  powerful  supports. 

.  From  that  moment  the  goal  of  safety  for  Pope  should  have^J 
been  Centreville ;  and  he  should  have  lost  no  time  in  concentrat 
ing  his  whole  army  by  forced  marches,  to  strike  the  formidable 
obstruction  from  his  rear,  and  secure  his  retreat  thither.  There 
he  would  have  been  front  to  front  with  his  adversary  once  more, 
and  within  reach  of  the  support  of  M'Clellan,  by  whose  aid  he 
might  have  advanced  again,  and  quickly  resumed  his  lost  ground. 
But  although  it  is  but  one  march  from  Warrenton,  where  his 


540  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

headquarters  were,  to  Manassa's,  two  and  a  half  precious  days 
were  wasted,  between  the  26th,  when  Jackson  struck  Bristoe, 
J  and  the  29th,  when  Longstreet  reached  his  right;  and  neither 
was  Jackson  crushed,  nor  Thoroughfare  Gap  effectually  held,  nor 
the  army  safely  transferred  to  Centreville.  At  mid-day,  on  the 
29th,  the  arrival  of  Longstreet  rendered  his  fortunes  difficult 
enough ;  but,  as  though  he  were  intent  to  make  them  desperate, 
when  his  left  was  incommoded  by  the  appearance  of  Longstreet's 
column  behind  it,  instead  of  retiring  squarely  from  his  antago 
nists,  keeping  his  right  upon  Bull  Run,  until  his  left  met  the 
support  of  the  approaching  column  of  Fitz-John  Porter,  from 
Aquia,  he  weakly  sought  to  disengage  his  left,  by  manoeuvring  to 
his  right,  and  again  confining  his  onset  to  the  lines  of  Jackson. 
These  were  skilfully  retracted,  to  lead  him  into  the  trap ;  and 
the  result  was,  that  on  the  third  and  decisive  day,  he  was  com 
pelled  to  fight  with  the  stream  in  his  immediate  rear,  and  with 
his  whole  army  inclosed  within  the  limits  of  the  fatal  fourcliette. 
The  Confederates  might  well  pray  that  such  leaders  should  ever 
command  the  armies  of  their  enemies. 

This  chapter  will  be  closed  with  a  characteristic  letter  from 
General  Jackson  to  his  wife. 

"  SEPTEMBEB  1st,  1862. 

"  We  were  engaged  with  the  enemy  at  and  near  Manassa's 
Junction  Tuesday  and  Wednesday,  and  again  near  the  battle-field 
of  Manassa's  on  Thursday,  Friday,  and  Saturday ;  in  all  of  which 
God  was  with  us,  and  gave  us  the  victory.  All  Glory  be  to  His 
holy  name  !  May  He  ever  be  with  us,  is  my  earnest  prayer,  and 
we  ever  be  His  devoted  people.  It  greatly  encourages  me  to  feel 
that  so  many  of  God's  people  are  praying  for  that  part  of  our 
forces  under  my  command.  The  Lord  has  answered  their 
prayers ;  and  my  trust  is  in  Him,  that  He  will  still  continue  to  do 


EMINENCE   OF   HIS    CHRISTIAN   CHARACTER.  541 

so.  God,  in  His  providence,  has  again  placed  us  across  Bull 
Run ;  and  I  pray  that  He  will  make  our  arms  entirely  successful, 
and  that  the  glory  will  be  given  to  His  holy  name,  and  none  of 
it  to  man. 

" '  God  has  blessed  and  preserved  me  through  His  great 
mercy.' " 

Thus  his  soul  dwelt  habitually  upon  the  plain  and  familiar 
promises  of  Gospel  blessings,  with  a  simplicity  of  faith  like  that 
of  the  little  child.  He  did  not  entertain  his  mind  with  theological 
refinements  and  pretended  profundities  or  novelties ;  but  fed  it 
with  those  known  truths  which  are  the  common  nourishment  of 
all  God's  people,  wise  and  simple,  and  which  are,  therefore,  the 
greatest  truths  of  redemption.  The  eminence  of  his  Christian 
character  was  not  in  that  he  affected  to  see  doctrines  unknown 
or  recondite  to  others ;  but  in  this :  that  he  embraced  the  doc 
trines  common  to  all,  with  a  faith  so  entire  and  prevalent.  This 
character  of  his  religion  often  suggested  to  those  less  spiritually 
minded  than  himself  the  opinion,  that  his  was  a  common-place 
understanding.  They  forgot  that  it  is  by  receiving  the  kingdom 
of  God  as  a  little  child  that  we  must  enter  therein.  When  they 
met  Jackson  in  council  or  in  action,  in  his  own  profession,  they 
soon  learned  their  mistake,  and  recognized  in  him  the  original 
force  and  power  of  true  greatness. 


542  LIFE   OF   LTEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 


CHAPTER     XVII. 

THE    CAMPAIGN    IN    MARYLAND. 

THE  Confederates  had  abundant  reason  to  be  satisfied  with 
the  results  of  the  summer's  operations.  With  an  aggregate  of 
about  eighty  thousand  men  in  all  Virginia,  they  had  rescued  the 
State  from  the  grasp  of  M'Clellan,  with  his  two  hundred  and 
twenty-three  thousand.  No  invaders  now  polluted  its  soil,  save 
at  the  fortified  posts  along  the  coast,  where  they  were  protected 
by  their  overwhelming  naval  forces,  at  Alexandria,  and  at  Har 
per's  Ferry,  and  Martinsburg  in  the  Great  Valley.  The  power 
ful  expedition  of  Burnside  had  been  recalled  from  North 
Carolina,  leaving  no  fruits  of  its  exertions  in  the  hands  of  his 
Government,  except  the  occupation  of  a  few  feeble  places.  The 
"  grand  army  "  had  been  reduced  by  battle,  desertions,  captures, 
and  sickness,  from  its  huge  proportions,  so  that  M'CleUan  was 
now  able  to  set  in  the  field  only  ninety  thousand  men,  by  con 
centrating  all  those  parts  which  had  lately  outnumbered  and 
oppressed  the  Confederates,  from  the  extreme  west  of  Maryland 
to  the  capes  of  the  Carolinian  coast.  The  grateful  people  of 
the  South  might  well  exclaim  with  Jackson,  in  view  of  so  grand 
a  deliverance :  "  Behold !  what  hath  God  wrought !" 

General  Lee  now  determined  to  pursue  his  advantages  by 
invading  the  country  of  his  enemy  in  turn,  and  thus  giving  such 
occupation  to  him  as  would  secure  to  Virginia,  during  the 
remainder  of  the  season,  a  respite  from  the  cruel  devastations  it 


POLICY   OF   INVASION   OP   MARYLAND.  543 

had  so  long  suffered.  The  temper  of  the  South  demanded  it, 
swelling  with  the  grief  of  its  mighty  wrongs,  and  hungering  for 
righteous  retribution.  Wise  policy  dictated  that  the  soil  of 
Virginia  should,  if  possible,  be  relieved  of  the  burden  of  the 
invading  and  the  patriot  armies,  which  it  had  so  long  borne, 
and  that  their  ravages  should  be  retorted  upon  the  aggressor. 
Maryland,  it  was  known,  had  succumbed  reluctantly  to  his  yoke, 
and  the  hope  was  entertained  that  the  presence  of  the  southern 
army  would  inspirit  its  people  to  attempt  something  in  aid  of 
their  own  liberation :  or  that,  at  least,  the  well-grounded  fears 
of  the  despot  lest  their  discontent  should  endanger  his  Capital, 
would  detain  so  large  a  force  to  defend  it  and  to  hold  them 
prostrate,  that  his  army  in  the  field  might  be  defeated  upon  their 
own  soil,  and  a  successful  incursion  might  carry  a  wholesome 
terror  into  the  heart  of  Pennsylvania.  The  two  veteran  divi 
sions  of  E.  H.  Anderson  and  D.  H.  Hill  had  now  overtaken  the 
main  army,  diminished  indeed  by  the  losses  of  the  peninsular 
campaign,  but  in  excellent  condition.  Indeed,  the  former  of 
these  had  reached  Manassa's  plains  on  the  30th  of  August, 
early  enough  to  support  Longstreet's  centre,  in  its  decisive  ad 
vance  against  Pope.  The  fragments  of  his  army,  reinforced 
by  M'Clellan,  were  now  ensconced  within  their  lines  near  Alex 
andria,  under  the  skilful  direction  of  the  latter  General;  and  to 
attack  them  there  would  be  attended  with  too  prodigal  a  waste  of 
patriot  blood.  General  Lee  therefore  determined  to  turn  aside 
and  promptly  cross  the  Potomac.  But  notwithstanding  the  ac 
cessions  he  had  just  received,  he  was  made  conscious,  in  the 
very  attempt,  of  that  cruel  disparity  of  means  and  numbers, 
which  robbed  the  Confederates  of  the  larger  part  of  the  fruits  of 
their  heroism.  The  invasion  of  Maryland,  he  well  knew,  would 
stimulate  that  recruiting  of  the  depleted  armies  of  the  enemy, 
which  their  population  made  so  easy  j  while  he  could  expect  no 


544  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

material  increase  of  his  force.  They  would  operate  along  great 
railroads,  and  sustain  their  troops  with  a  lavish  supply  of  trans 
portation;  stores,  and  ammunition,  from  their  vast  depots  just  at 
hand.  He  had  now  left  his  railroad  communication  far  behind, 
and  must  provide  for  the  wants  of  his  army  with  scanty  trains  of 
wagons  j  while  ordnance,  clothing,  and  shoes  were  deficient,  and 
impossible  to  obtain  in  adequate  quantities.  No  generals,  there 
fore,  ever  adopted  a  bolder  project  than  that  of  Lee  and  Jack 
son,  or  executed  it  with  greater  promptitude.  The  battle  of  Ox 
Hill  ended  at  nightfall,  September  1st,  amidst  thunder,  tempest, 
and  a  deluge  of  rain.  On  the  2nd  the  last  remains  of  the  beaten 
Federals  were  whipped  in  under  the  shelter  of  their  ramparts. 
On  the  3rd  the  Confederate  army  was  upon  the  march  for  the 
fords  of  the  Potomac  ! 

The  invasion  determined  on,  two  places  offered  themselves 
to  General  Lee  for  penetrating  into  Maryland.  If  he  removed 
his  army  directly  across  the  Blue  Ridge  to  the  Lower  Valley,  he 
could  easily  brush  away  the  force  which  occupied  Martinsburg  ; 
when  the  valley  of  central  Pennsylvania  would  lie  open  before  him, 
and  his  own  line  of  communication  could  be  established  with  the 
Central  Virginia  Railroad  at  Staunton,  along  that  still  abundant 
country.  Or  else,  he  might  cross  the  Potomac  between  the 
Federal  fortifications  and  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  entering  the  mid 
dle  regions  of  Maryland,  proceed  as  the  movements  of  the 
enemy  should  indicate.  He  adopted  the  latter  plan.  His  pur 
pose  was,  first  to  draw  the  Federal  t  army  from  the  Virginian 
bank  by  violently  threatening  their  Capital  and  Baltimore,  from 
the  other  side,  so  that  his  field  hospitals  at  Manassa's  Plains, 
his  own  communications  toward  Orange,  and  the  important  work 
of  removing  his  prisoners,  wounded  and  spoils,  from  the  scene  of 
his  late  triumphs,  might  be  relieved  from  their  incursions  for  a 
season.  He  also  hoped,  that  when  the  head  of  his  great  column 


HE   CROSSES   THE   POTOMAC.  545 

began  to  insinuate  itself  between  Washington   and   Harper's 
Ferry,  the  Federal  detachment  at  the  latter  place  would  act  upon 
the  obvious  dictate  of  the  military  art,  evacuate  that  place  to 
him  without  a  struggle,  and  retire  into  communication  with  their 
friends ;  thus  clearing  his  left  of  that  annoyance.      His  purpose 
was  then  to  move  toward  Western  Maryland  and  Central  Penn 
sylvania,  establish  his  communications  with  the  valley  of  Virginia, 
and  drawing  the  Federalists  afar  from  their  base  at  Washington, 
fight  them  beyond  the  mountains.     He  therefore  put  the  army  in 
motion,  September  the  3rd,  with  the  cavalry  of  Stuart  and  the 
fresh  division  of  D.  H.  Hill  in  front,  followed  by  the  corps  of 
Jackson,  which  still  formed  the  body  of  the  advanced  force.     He 
marched  to  Drainsville  that  day,  and  to  Leesburg,  the  county- 
seat  of  Loudoun,  the  4th  of  September.     On  the  5th,  the  corps 
passed  the  Potomac,  at  White's  Ford,  near  Edwards'  Ferry,  a 
few  miles  distant,  just  below  the  scene  of  the  bloody  repulse  of 
Ball's  bluff,  and  established  themselves  upon  the  soil  of  Maryland 
without  opposition.     At  this  place  the  great  river  spreads  itself 
out  to  the  width  of  more  than  half  a  mile,  over  a  pebbly  and 
level  bed ;  and  its  floods,  reduced  in  volume  by  the  summer 
heats,  were  but  two   or  three  feet  deep.      The  infantry,  and 
even  the  cannoneers  passed,  by  wading  through  the  water.     All 
day  long  the  column  poured  across,  belting  the  shining  river  with 
a  thin,  dark  line ;  and  as  the  feet  of  the  men  were  planted  upon 
the  northern  bank,  they  uttered  their  enthusiasm  in  hearty  cheers. 
Many  a  gallant  man,  who  now  touched  that  soil,  was  destined  to 
sleep,  till  the  last  day,  within  it,  in  a  stranger's  grave.     The  first 
care  of  the  Confederates,  after  gaining  the  northern  bank,  was 
to  interrupt  the  navigation  of  the  canal  effectually,  by  destroying 
its  locks,  and  opening  the  embankments,  so  that   the  waters 
escaped  and  left  its  bed  dry.     Jackson  then  advanced  northward, 
and  on  the  6th  of  September  occupied  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio 

69 


546  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Bailroad,  and  the  flourishing  town  of  Frederick.  The  arrival  of 
the  Confederates  in  Maryland  awakened  in  a  part  of  the  popu 
lation  a  faint  glow  of  enthusiasm.  A  committee  of  citizens  met 
General  Jackson  with  the  present  of  a  costly  horse,  and  a  few 
hundreds  of  the  young  men  enlisted  in  the  patriot  army.  But  the 
opinions  of  the  people  in  the  upper  regions  of  the  State  were 
divided,  and  the  major  part  merely  acquiesced  in  the  occupation 
of  the  country,  with  a  truckling  caution.  General  Jackson 
employed  the  most  stringent  measures  against  straggling,  and 
every  outrage ;  and  established  in  the  town  a  police  so  strict,  that 
its  citizens  were  almost  unconscious  of  the  inconveniences  of  hos 
tile  occupation.  Two  appearances  were  now  manifest  in  strong 
contrast,  which  have  not  failed  to  re-appear  at  every  return  of 
the  Confederate  army  to  the  northern  soil ;  on  their  part  a  gen 
erous  forbearance  and  respect  for  private  rights,  almost  incredible 
in  men  who  had  left  their  own  homes  desolated  by  outrages  so 
diabolical  j  and  on  the  part  of  the  so  called  Union  population, 
a  disgusting  brutality,  which  declared  itself  incompetent  even  to 
comprehend  their  magnanimity,  by  imputing  it  uniformly  to 
fear. 

All  direct  communication  between  Washington  and  Harper's 
Ferry  was  now  severed.  The  first  effect  which  General  Lee 
hoped  from  his  movement  was  immediately  gained.  M'Clellan, 
who  was  placed  by  the  verbal  request  of  Lincoln,  in  supreme 
command,  began  at  once  to  withdraw  his  troops  to  the  north 
bank  of  the  Potomac ;  and  the  Confederate  rear  was  delivered 
from  all  serious  annoyance,  save  the  insults  of  flying  parties  of 
cavalry.  The  other  consequence,  the  evacuation  of  Harper's 
Ferry  and  Martinsburg,  would  also  have  followed,  if  the  sound 
discretion  of  M'Clellan  had  prevailed.  No  sooner  had  he  fully 
discovered  General  Lee's  drift,  than  he  requested  of  Ilalleck 
that  the  troops  there  and  at  Harper's  Ferry,  useless  and  in 


GENERAL  HALLECK  ALARMED.  547 

peril  where  they  were,  should  be  withdrawn  and  brought  into 
connexion  with  him.  His  advice  was  disregarded;  and  the  speedy 
capture  of  both  those  detachments  evinced  at  once  the  soundness 
of  his  counsel  and  the  soundness  of  General  Lee's  expectation, 
that  his  advance  on  Frederick  ought  naturally  to  result  in  the 
peaceable  occupation  of  Harper's  Ferry  by  the  Confederates. 
The  blunder  of  the  Federalists  in  remaining  there,  did,  indeed, 
exert  an  unforeseen  and  indirect  influence  in  favor  of  their 
army,  as  will  appear  in  the  sequel;  but,  as  it  was  one  which 
was  not  designed  by  either  Halleck  or  M'Clellan,  it  does 
not  acquit  the  former  of  these  Generals  from  the  charge  of  an 
error  of  judgment.  This  commander  was  now  seized  with  a 
panic  for  the  safety  of  Washington,  which  obfuscated  his  own 
senses,  and  obstructed,  for  a  time,  every  effort  of  M'Clellan  to 
act  with  vigor  against  the  invaders.  He  was  haunted  with  the 
fear  that  the  march  into  Maryland  was  a  feint, —  that  only  a 
small  detachment  was  there,  while  the  bulk  of  their  army  was 
somehow  hidden  away  in  some  llmbus  in  the  woods  of  Fairfax, 
whence  the  terrible  Jackson  would  suddenly  emerge,  seize  the 
lines  of  Arlington  while  denuded  of  their  defenders,  and  thunder 
with  his  cannon  upon  the  White  House.  Again,  he  imagined  that 
he  would  suddenly  recross  the  Potomac  somewhere  in  the  moun 
tains,  march  down  its  southern  bank,  pass  it  a  third  time  below 
M'Clellan's  army,  and,  approaching  Washington  by  its  north  side, 
capture  the  place,  with  the  precious  persons  of  the  President 
and  his  minions,  before  the  latter  General  could  turn  about.  A 
few  days  after,  when  he  heard  that  Jackson  was  indeed  passing 
to  the  south  side  of  the  Potomac  at  Williamsport,  a  hundred 
miles  away,  he  was  sure  that  the  catastrophe  was  at  hand. 
Hence,  he  detained  M'Clellan  in  his  march  j  he  entreated  him 
not  to  proceed  fax  from  the  Capital ;  he  warned  him  to  look  well 
to  his  endangered  left.  These  fancies  of  the  Generalissimo  are 


548  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

of  interest  only  as  showing  the  conviction  of  Jackson's  enemies, 
that  there  was  nothing  which  was  not  within  reach  of  his  rapid 
audacity,  and  as  evincing  how  happily  his  prowess  confounded 
their  counsels. 

These  uncertain  and  dilatory  movements  of  the  enemy  gave 
General  Jackson  a  respite  from  the  6th  to  the  10th  of  September, 
at  Frederick,  which  he  improved  in  resting  and  refitting  his 
command.  The  day  after  his  arrival  was  the  Sabbath.  Such 
was  the  order  and  discipline  of  the  invading  army,  that  all  the 
churches  were  opened,  and  the  people  attended  their  worship, 
with  their  wives  and  children,  as  in  profound  peace.  Jackson 
himself  appeared  in  the  German  Keformed  Church,  as  a  devout 
worshipper.  He  expressed  to  his  wife  his  lively  delight  in  par 
ticipating  in  the  divine  service  again,  after  so  many  weeks  of 
privation,  with  a  regular  Christian  assembly,  and  in  a  commo 
dious  temple,  consecrated  to  God. 

Meantime  his  cavalry,  under  the  gallant  Colonel  Munford, 
with  some  supporting  force,  observed  the  approaches  of  the  ene 
my  on  the  side  of  Washington.  This  officer,  who  had  just  dis 
tinguished  himself  on  the  plains  of  Manassa's  in  the  most  brilliant 
cavalry  charge  of  the  war,  skirmished  daily  with  the  enemy's 
advance ;  and,  as  their  masses  began  to  press  more  heavily  upon 
him,  fell  back  toward  Frederick.  The  whole  Confederate  army 
had  arrived  there,  and  was  encamped  near  the  town.  General 
Lee  now  assembled  his  leading  Generals  in  council,  to  devise  a 
plan  of  operations  for  the  approaching  shock  of  arms.  Harper's 
Ferry  had  not  been  evacuated,  as  he  hoped.  His  first  design,  of 
withdrawing  his  army  in  a  body  toward  Western  Maryland,  for 
the  purpose  of  threatening  Pennsylvania,  and  fighting  M'Clellan 
upon  ground  of  his  own  selection,  was  now  beset  with  this  diffi 
culty  :  that  its  execution  would  leave  the  garrison  at  Harper's 
Ferry  to  re-open  their  communications  with  their  friends,  to 


GENERAL  LEE'S  PLAN   OF   MAECH.  549 

receive  an  accession  of  strength,  and  to  sit  upon  his  flank, 
threatening  his  new  line  of  supply  up  the  valley  of  Virginia. 
Two  other  plans  remained :  the  one  was  to  leave  Harper's  Ferry 
to  itself  for  the  present,  to  concentrate  the  whole  army  in  a  good 
position,  and  fight  M'Clellan  as  he  advanced.  The  other  was  to 
withdraw  the  army  west  of  the  mountains,  as  at  first  designed, 
but  by  different  routes,  embracing  the  reduction  of  Harper's 
Ferry  by  a  rapid  combination  in  this  movement ;  and  then  to 
re-assemble  the  whole  at  some  favorable  position  in  that  region, 
for  the  decisive  struggle  with  M'Clellan.  The  former  was  advo 
cated  by  Jackson ;  he  feared  lest  the  other  system  of  movements 
should  prove  too  complex  for  realizing  that  punctual  and  com 
plete  concentration  which  sound  policy  required.  The  latter, 
being  preferred  by  the  Commander-in-Chief  was  adopted.-  It 
would  be  unjust  to  point  to  its  partial  results  as  proof  of  supe 
rior  sagacity  in  Jackson,  for  the  impartial  reader  would  remem 
ber  that  the  plan  of  his  preference  was  never  tried ;  and,  if  it 
had  been,  the  test  of  experiment  might  have  shown  that  it  also 
was  only  capable  of  imperfect  success.  It  should  be  added  that 
the  execution  of  the  plan  which  was  actually  adopted  was 
marred,  in  some  measure,  by  the  untimely  disclosure  of  it  to  the 
enemy.  Either  project  was  bold,  and  its  execution  would  have 
been '  delicate  and  hazardous.  The  purposes  of  General  Lee 
cannot  be  so  clearly  set  forth  in  any  way  as  by  the  order  which 
unfolded  them  to  his  Lieutenants,  issued  at  Frederick,  Septem 
ber  9th:  — 

"The  army  will  resume  its  march  to-morrow,  taking  the 
Hagerstown  road.  General  Jackson's  command  will  form  the 
advance,  and,  after  passing  Middletown  with  such  portion  as  he 
may  select,  will  take  the  route  toward  Sharpsburg,  cross  the 
Potomac  at  the  most  convenient  point,  and  by  Friday  night  take 
possession  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  capture  such  of 


550  LIFE   OP  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

the  enemy  as  may  be  at  Martinsburg,  and  intercept  such  as  may 
attempt  to  escape  from  Harper's  Ferry. 

"  General  Longstreet's  command  will  pursue  the  same  road  as 
far  as  Boonesborough,  where  it  will  halt  with  the  reserve,  supply, 
and  baggage  trains  of  the  army. 

"  General  M'Laws,  with  his  own  division,  and  that  of  General 
R.  H.  Anderson,  will  follow  General  Longstreet ;  on  reaching 
Middletown  he  will  take  the  route  to  Harper's  Ferry,  and  by 
Friday  morning  possess  himself  of  the  Maryland  Heights,  and 
endeavor  to  capture  the  enemy  at  Harper's  Ferry  and  its 
vicinity. 

"  General  Walker,  with  his  division,  after  accomplishing  the 
object  in  which  he  is  now  engaged,  will  cross  the  Potomac  at 
Cheek's  Ford,  ascend  its  right  bank  to  Lovettsville,  take  posses 
sion  of  Loudoun  Heights,  if  practicable,  by  Friday  morning; 
Key's  Ford  on  his  left,  and  the  road  between  the  end  of  the 
mountain  and  the  Potomac  on  his  right.  He  will,  as  far  as 
practicable,  co-operate  with  General  M'Laws  and  General  Jack 
son  in  intercepting  the  retreat  of  the  enemy. 

"  General  D.  H.  Hill's  division  will  form  the  rear-guard  of  the 
army,  pursuing  the  road  taken  by  the  main  body.  The  reserve 
artillery,  ordnance,  and  supply-trains,  &c.,  will  precede  General 
Hill. 

"  General  Stuart  will  detach  a  squadron  of  cavalry  to  accom 
pany  the  commands  of  Generals  Longstreet,  Jackson,  and 
M'Laws ;  and  with  the  main  body  of  the  cavalry  will  cover  the 
route  of  the  army,  and  bring  up  all  stragglers  that  may  have 
been  left  behind. 

"  The  commands  of  Generals  Jackson,  M'Laws,  and  Walker, 
after  accomplishing  the  objects  for  which  they  have  been  de 
tached,  will  join  the  main  body  of  the  army  at  Boonsborough 
or  Hagerstown." 


ORDER   OF  MARCH.  551 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  advance  was  again  committed  to  Gen 
eral  Jackson,  together  with  the  task  of  making  the  Ipnger  circuit, 
and  reducing  Harper's  Ferry.  On  the  morning  of  Wednesday, 
September  10th,  he  set  out,  and  marched  across  the  mountains  to 
Boonsborough.  The  next  day,  leaving  Hagerstown  on  his  right, 
General  Jackson  marched  to  Williamsport ;  and  crossing  the 
Potomac  at  that  place,  re-entered  Virginia  a  full  day's  march 
west  of  Harper's  Ferry.  Then,  dividing  his  forces,  he  sent  Gen 
eral  A.  P.  Hill  on  the  direct  road  to  Martinsburg  j  while  he,  with 
the  other  two  divisions,  moved  to  the  North  Mountain  Depot,  the 
nearest  station  west  of  that  town.  The  object  of  these  move 
ments  was  to  prevent  the  garrison  of  Martinsburg  from  escaping 
by  the  west  or  north.  Their  commander,  Brigadier- General 
White,  finding  no  other  outlet,  deserted  the  place  on  the 
approach  of  the  Confederates,  and  retired  to  Harper's  Ferry. 
They  entered  Martinsburg  on  the  morning  of  the  12th  of  Sep 
tember,  and  found  many  valuable  stores  abandoned  by  the 
enemy.  By  the  patriotic  part  of  the  population  of  this  oppressed 
town  General  Jackson  was  received  with  an  uncontrollable  out 
burst  of  enthusiasm.  He  was  now  in  his  own  military  district 
again,  —  his  beloved  Valley;  and  he  appeared  among  the  aston 
ished  and  delighted  people  almost  as  a  visitor  from  the  skies. 
The  females,  especially,  to  whom  his  purity  and  domestic  virtues 
made  him  as  dear  as  his  lofty  chivalry,  crowded  around  him  with 
their  affectionate  greetings ;  while  the  foremost  besieged  him  for 
some  little  souvenir.  Blushing  with  embarrassment,  he  said: 
"  Really,  ladies,  this  is  the  first  time  I  was  ever  surrounded  by 
the  enemy  j"  and  disengaged  himself  from  them.  Allotting 
scanty  time  to  the  indulgence  of  this  popular  emotion,  he  pressed 
forward  the  same  day  toward  Harper's  Ferry,  and  approached 
it  from  the  west  at  eleven  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  13th. 
His  two  partners  in  the  enterprise,  Generals  M'Laws  and 


552  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Walker,  had  not  yet  arrived ;  and  it  is  striking  evidence  of  his 
celerity,  that  .while  they  had  but  the  distance  of  a  day's  march  to 
traverse,  he  completed  a  circuit  of  more  than  sixty  miles,  and 
arrived  first.  Placing  his  signal  officer  upon  a  conspicuous 
eminence,  he  began  immediately  to  question  the  neighboring 
heights  of  Loudoun  and  Maryland,  but  received  no  response. 
He  then  sent  by  couriers;  and,  during  the  night  of  the  13th, 
received  answer  that  General  M'Laws  had  succeeded  in  seizing 
the  Maryland  Heights,  after  a  spirited  and  successful  combat, 
about  four  and  a  half  o'clock,  P.  M.,  while  General  Walker  had 
the  same  evening  occupied  the  Loudoun  Heights  with  two  regi 
ments,  without  opposition. 

The  village  of  Harper's  Ferry  has  already  been  described,  as 
occupying  the  angle  between  the  Potomac  and  Shenandoah, 
where  these  two  rivers  unite,  immediately  before  their  passage 
through  the  gorge  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  The  town  ascends,  in  a 
rambling  fashion,  a  ridge  which  fills  the  space  between  the  two 
rivers,  and  which  is  itself  almost  a  mountain.  This  range  of 
highlands,  known  as  Bolivar  Heights,  upon  its  reverse,  presents 
a  regular  acclivity,  looking  toward  the  southwest  over  the  open 
country  of  the  valley,  which  extends  from  the  Shenandoah  to  the 
Potomac.  The  former  stream  separates  them  from  the  Loudoun 
Heights,  and  across  the  latter,  they  are  confronted  by  the  Mary 
land  Heights.  Along  the  crest  of  Bolivar  Heights  the  Federal 
ists  had  constructed  a  defensive  line  of  earthworks,  with  heavy 
abattis,  and  many  batteries  of  artillery.  On  the  morning  of 
September  14th,  General  Jackson  placed  himself  in  communica 
tion  with  his  associates,  and  taking  the  chief  direction  as  senior 
officer,  proceeded  to  dispose  everything  for  the  capture  of  the 
place,  with  its  entire  garrison.  Brigadier-General  Walker  car 
ried  four  rifled  cannon  to  the  crest  of  Loudoun  Heights,  supported 
by  a  portion  of  his  infantry ;  while  with  the  remainder  he  guarded 


ARRANGEMENTS   FOR   THE    CAPTURE   OF 'HARPER'S   FERRY.      553 

the  roads  by  which  the  enemy  might  seek  to  escape  eastward. 
Major-General  M'Laws  established  himself  in  Pleasant  Valley,  a 
mountain  vale  embraced  between  the  main  crest  of  the  Blue  Ridge, 
and  a  subsidiary  range  parallel  to  it  on  the  west,  known  as  Elk 
Ridge.  It  is  the  southern  promontory  of  this,  which,  immediately 
overlooking  the  river  and  village,  is  known  as  Maryland  Heights. 
After  seizing  this  commanding  position,  as  has  been  related,  he 
devoted  the  night  of  the  13th  and  the  forenoon  of  the  14th,  to 
constructing  a  r-^ad  along  the  crest  of  Elk  Ridge,  by  which  can 
non  could  be  carried  out  upon  its  southern  extremity.  By  two 
o'clock  P.  M.  four  pieces  of  artillery  were  established  there, 
with  great  labor,  overlooking  the  whole  town,  and  a  part  of  the 
enemy's  works  on  Bolivar  Heights.  The  remainder  of  General 
M'Laws'  force  was  employed  in  watching  the  outlets  from  Har 
per's  Ferry  down  the  Potomac,  where  the  main  road,  the  rail 
road  and  the  caaal,  passed  under  the  mountain's  foot,  and  to 
guarding  his  reai  against  the  approach  of  the  heavy  force  of 
M-Clellan ;  who  sought  to  raise  the  siege  by  pressing  him  from 
the  north.  But  while  the  guns  of  M'Laws  and  Walker  upon 
the  mouniains  now  rendered  the  town  untenable  to  the  Federal 
ists,  they  could  not  dislodge  them  from  their  main  line  upon 
Bolivar  Heights ;  and  here,  it  was  plain,  they  would  cling,  in  the 
hope  of  being  relieved  by  M'Clellan,  until  the  place  was  actually 
forced.  So  that  the  main  struggle,  after  all,  fell  to  the  corps  of 
General  Jackson.  He  directed  the  division  of  Hill  toward  the 
Shenandoah,  and  that  of  Taliaferro,  under  Brigadier- General  J. 
R.  Jones,  to  the  banks  of  the  Potomac.  The  division  of  Ewell, 
under  Brigadier-General  Lawton,  marched  upon  the  Charlestown 
turnpike,  and  supported  Hill.  On  the  14th  General  Jackson, 
observing  an  eminence  upon  the  extreme  right  of  the  enemy's 
line,  and  next  the  Potomac,  occupied  only  by  horsemen,  directed 
the  Stonewall  Brigade,  under  Colonel  Grigsby,  to  seize  it.  This 

70 


554  LIFE  OP  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 

was  done  without  much  difficulty;  and  the  hill  was  at  once 
crowned  by  the  batteries  of  Poague  and  Carpenter.  On  his 
right,  a  similar  operation,  of  still  greater  importance,  was  hap 
pily  effected  by  General  A.  P.  Hill.  Perceiving  an  elevated 
piece  of  ground,  (whence  the  Federal  position  along  Bolivar 
Heights  could  be  enfiladed  at  the  distance  of  only  a  thousand 
yards,)  which  seemed  to  be  defended  by  infantry  behind  a 
heavy  abattis  without  artillery,  Hill  sent  three  brigades  under 
General  Pender,  to  storm  it.  This  was  effected  in  most  gallant 
style,  and  with  slight  loss.  During  the  night  Major  Walker, 
director  of  his  artillery,  by  indefatigable  exertions,  carried  sev 
eral  batteries  to  the  position  thus  won ;  while  the  remainder  of 
the  infantry  of  the  division,  availing  themselves  of  the  darkness, 
.and  the  precipitous  ravines  which  descend  to  the  Shenandoah, 
insinuated  themselves  down  its  left  bank,  and  took  post  in  rear 
of  the  enemy's  left.  By  these  dispositions,  the  fate  of  the  garri 
son  was  sealed.  But  General  Jackson,  to  make  sure  of  his 
work,  also  directed  his  chief  of  artillery,  Colonel  Crutchfield,  to 
pass  eleven  pieces  of  artillery  from  Swell's  division  across  the 
Shenandoah,  and  establish  them  upon  its  right  bank,  so  as  to 
take  a  part  of  the  Federal  line  in  reverse.  To  the  division  of 
Ewell  was  assigned  the  front  attack,  in  the  centre. 

This  arrangement  of  the  Confederate  forces  has  been  de 
scribed  in  its  completeness,  because  there  is  no  more  beautiful 
instance  in  the  whole  history  of  the  military  art,  of  a  grand 
combination  absolutely  complete  and  punctual,  irrevocably  de 
ciding  the  struggle  before  it  was  begun,  and  yielding  a  perfect 
result,  which  left  nothing  more  to  be  desired.  In  the  afternoon 
of  the  14th,  the  guns  of  M'Laws  and  Walker,  upon  the  two 
mountains,  had  given  the  enemy  a  foretaste  of  their  overthrow, 
by  silencing  their  batteries  nearer  the  Potomac,  and  searching 
the  whole  encampment  and  barracks  with  their  shells  at  will. 


THE   PLACE   SURRENDERS.  555 

But  Jackson  was  now  ready  also;  and  at  dawn  on  the  15th  he 
proceeded  to  give  to  his  adversary  the  coup  de  grace.  He 
ordered  all  the  different  batteries  to  open  at  once.  M'Laws  and 
Walker  plunged  their  shot  among  the  Federal  masses  from  the 
heights;  Poague  and  Carpenter  scourged  their  right  with  a 
resistless  fire ;  Lawton  advanced  to  the  attack  with  artillery  and 
infantry  in  front ;  and  the  enfilading  batteries  of  General  Hill 
and  Colonel  Crutchfield  swept  their  men  from  the  ramparts  by  a 
storm  of  projectiles.  After  an  hour  of  furious  cannonading,  all 
the  Federal  batteries  were  silenced.  General  Jackson  had  di 
rected  that  at  this. signal,  Hill  should  instantly  advance,  and 
storm  the  place  upoa  the  right.  His  brigades  were  just  moving, 
the  gallant  Ponder  again  in  front,  supported  by  two  advanced 
batteries,  when  amidst  the  surges  of  smoke,  a  white  flag  was  seen 
waving  from  a  prominent  height  within  the  town.  Hill  arrested 
the  tempest  of  battle  at  once ;  and  sending  an  officer  to  ascertain 
tLo  purpose  of  the  enemy  to  surrender,  soon  after  entered  the 
town,  and  received  the  submission  of  its  commander.  The  sen 
ior  officer  present,  Colonel  Miles,  had  just  fallen  by  a  mortal 
wound ;  Brigadier-General  White,  the  next  in  command,  surren 
dered  at  discretion,  with  a  garrison  of  eleven  thousand  men, 
seventy-three  pieces  of  artillery,  thirteen  thousand  stand  of  small 
arms,  a  great  number  of  wagons  and  horses,  and  a  vast  accumu 
lation  of  stores  of  every  description.  When  General  Hill 
entered  the  place,  all  was  confusion  and  panic,  and  the  defenders 
had  already  lost  every  appearance  of  subordination. 

General  Jackson  granted  most  liberal  terms  to  the  prisoners, 
although  they  had  placed  themselves  at  his  will.  The  officers 
were  dismissed  with  their  side-arms  and  personal  effects,  upon 
their  parole ;  and  wagons,  with  horses,  lent  them  to  remove  ^heir 
baggage  to  the  Federal  lines.  The  privates  also,  were  disarmed, 
and  released  upon  parole.  The  force  of  General  Lee  was  too 


556  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

small  to  permit;  at  this  critical  hour,  the  detachment  of  men  to 
conduct  them  into  the  interior.  This  magnificent  capture  con 
firmed  the  judgment  of  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  who  decided 
in  1861  that  Harper's  Ferry  was  an  untenable  position  for  a 
garrison  menaced  by  a  large  army.  The  only  resource  for  the 
Federal  commander,  when  he  saw  his  enemies  approaching,  was 
a  retreat  to  the  Maryland  Heights.  These  commanded  the 
Loudoun  Heights,  as  they,  in  turn,  commanded  the  village.  He 
should  have  retreated  thither  at  the  beginning  with  his  light 
artillery,  destroyed  his  stores,  and  broken  up  the  bridges  be 
tween  himself  and  Harper's  Ferry.  That  place  would  have 
then  been  as  untenable  to  Jackson  as  it  had  been  to  him,  and  he 
would  have  speedily  restored  communication  between  himself 
and  M'Clellan,  who  was  approaching  from  the  north, 

The  surrender  of  Harper's  Ferry  was  received  at  9  o'clock 
A.M.,  the  15th  of  September.  General  Jackson,  assigning  to  Hill 
the  receiving  of  the  captured  persons  and  property,  immediately 
resumed  his  march  to  rejoin  General  Lee  at  Sharpsburg  with 
his  two  remaining  divisions.  By  a  toilsome  night  march,  he 
reached  that  place  on  the  morning  of  Tuesday,  September  16th. 
He  also  ordered  M'Laws  and  Walker  to  descend,  pass  through 
Harper's  Ferry,  and  follow  him.  The  Commander-in-Chief  was 
now  demanding  their  presence  with  urgency.  To  understand  its 
cause,  other  lines  of  events  must  be  resumed. 

On  the  12th  of  September,  the  advance  of  M'Clellan's  grand 
army  having  discovered  that  all  the  Confederates  had  left  Fred 
erick,  ventured  to  enter  the  place.  The  next  day,  a  copy  of 
General  Lee's  order,  directing  the  movements  of  his  whole  army, 
which  had  been  unfortunately  dropped  in  the  town,  was  discov 
ered*  and  sent  to  the  Federal  General.  Satisfied  at  once  of  its 
authenticity,  he  perceived  that  he  now  -had  the  clew  for  which  he 
had  been  groping  so  cautiously,  and  determined  to  disregard  the 


M'CLELLAN'S  MOVEMENTS.  557 

groundless  fears  of  the  despotism  at  Washington,  and  to  press 
the  Confederates,  henceforward,  with  vigor.  He  saw  correctly 
that  celerity  of  movement  might  now  make  him  master  of  the 
situation,  and  adopted  a  plan  of  operations  dictated  by  the 
highest  skill.  This  was  to  push  his  great  army  westward  as 
rapidly  as  possible  by  several  parallel  routes  so  near  together 
as  to  render  a  concentration  on  either  rapid  and  easy ;  to  feel 
all  the  passes  across  the  mountain  which  were  held  by  Lee,  and 
as  soon  as  he  effected  an  entrance  at  any,  to  collect  his  whole 
force  beyond  that  barrier  between  the  Confederates  near  Har 
per's  Ferry  and  the  other  wing,  supposed  to  be  tending  toward 
Hagerstown ;  to  crush  the  former  first,  delivering  the  beleaguered 
garrison,  and  then  turn  upon  the  latter.  That  all  this  was  not 
effected,  was  due  to  the  surprising  promptitude  with  which 
Jackson  reduced  Harper's  Ferry,  and  to  the  heroic  tenacity  of 
M'Laws  and  D.  H.  Hill  in  holding  the  Pleasant  Valley  and  Boons- 
borough  Gap  against  him,  until  the  Confederate  army  could  be 
concentrated.  On  the  14th,  the  Federal  left  wing,  in  great 
force,  under  General  Franklin,  forced  Crampton's  Gap,  by  which 
M-Laws  had  approached  Harper's  Ferry.  But  when  they 
passed  the  first  crest  of  the  mountain,  they  found  M'Laws,  with 
a  strong  rear-guard,  drawn  up  across  the  Pleasant  Yalley  with 
so  bold  a  front,  that  they  feared  both  .to  attack  him  and  to 
expose  their  flank  by  proceeding  farther  west.  Here  Franklin 
lost  a  day  invaluable  to.  his  commander,  by  pausing  to  con 
front  M'Laws  until  the  fall  of  Harper's  Ferry  on  the  15th 
opened  to  the  latter  a  safe  exit,  by  which  he  retired  toward  the 
appointed  rendezvous.  On  the  14th  of  September,  also,  the 
remainder  of  the  Federal  army,  moving  from  Frederick  by  the 
main  road  toward  Boonsbororough  hurled  its  vast  masses  all  day 
against  D.  H.  Hill,  in  the  mountain  pass  in  front  of  that  place. 
This  determined  soldier  held  his  ground  with  less  than  five 


558  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

thousand  men,  when  General  Longstreet  coming  to  his  support 
in  the  afternoon,  sustained  the  onset  until  nightfall.  They  then 
withdrew  their  divisions  toward  Sharpsburg,  under  favor  of  the 
darkness,  and  arrived  at  that  position  on  the  15th;.  while  their 
enemies  pursued  sluggishly,  bravely  resisted  by  the  cavalry  of 
FitzHugh  Lee.  In  the  combat  of  Boonsborough  Gap,  M'Clellan, 
with  that  usual  exaggeration  of  the  numbers  of  his  enemy  to 
which  his  timid  temperament  inclined  him,  placed  the  force  of 
D.  H.  Hill  at  fifteen  thousand,  and  that  of  Longstreet  at  as  many 
more.  A  large  portion  of  his  army  arrived  in  front  of  the  Con 
federate  position  at  Sharpsburg  on  the  same  day  with  them, 
and  he  might  have  immediately  attacked  with  the  prospect  of 
overwhelming  the  three  divisions  opposed  to  him.  But  the 
absence  of  Franklin  with  his  whole  left  wing,  which  was  detained 
in  Pleasant  Valley  by  M'Laws,  the  cumbrous  size  of  his  vast 
and  sluggish  host,  and  his  own  caution,  consumed  both  that  day 
and  the  16th.  Then,  two  divisions  of  the  corps  of  Jackson  and 
that  of  General  Walker  were  in  position,  and  the  hope  of  beat 
ing  the  Southern  army  in  detail  was  at  an  end. 

The  position  selected  by  General  Lee  for  his  final  concen 
tration  is  marked  by  the  little  village  of  Sharpsburg,  a  cluster 
of  German  farm-houses,  which  had  spent  its  quiet  existence 
amidst  the  hills  and  woods,  dreaming  little  of  the  fame  which 
was  to  connect  its  name  forever  with  the  greatest  battle  of  this 
gigantic  campaign.  It  is  situated  at  the  intersection  of  six  roads, 
two  and  a  half  miles  east  of  the  Potomac,  and  one  mile  west  of 
Antietam  Creek,  a  picturesque  mill-stream,  which  descends  from 
the  north,  and  separates  between  the  rolling  hills  of  the  great 
valley,  and  the  long,  sloping  ridges  which  form  the  western  bases 
of  the  Blue  Ridge,  or  South  Mountain.  The  roads  which  centre 
at  the  village  lead  southward  to  Harper's  Ferry,  northward  to 
Hagerstown,  westward  to  Shepherdstown,  upon  the  Virginian 


CONFEDERATE   POSITIONS    AT   SHARP3BURG. 


559 


WALKER'S    DIV. 
LONGSTREET'S. 
D.   H.    HILL'S. 
LAWTON'S. 
JONES'S. 
EARLY'S    BRIG. 
HOOD'S   DIV. 
M'LAW'S'. 
A.    P.   HILL'S. 
TOOMBS'    BRIG. 
STUART'S  CAV. 


,  3-4  Inch  to  a  Mile. 


CONFEDERATE    POSITIONS    AT    SHARPSBUKG. 


560  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

shore  of  the  Potomac,  eastward  to  Boonsborough,  and  southeast* 
ward  to  Pleasant  Valley.  It  was  by  the  last  two  that  M'Clellan's 
army  approached ;  and  these  highways  passed  the  Antietam  upon 
substantial  bridges  of  stone;  while  other  practicable  crossings, 
above  and  below,  were  offered  by  fords  and  country  roads  of 
less  note.  The  country  around  Sharpsburg  is  elevated  and 
rolling,  with  woods,  fields,  farm-houses,  and  orchards  interspersed, 
divided  by  stone  fences,  and  scarred  here  and  there  with  ledges 
of  limestone  which  project  a  few  feet  from  the  soil.  It  offered, 
therefore,  a  strong  defensive  position  for  an  army  receiving  the 
attack  of  its  enemies;  but  the  ground  lay  under  two  grave 
objections,  of  which  the  one  was,  that  this  army  had  the  Potomac 
in  its  immediate  rear,  and  the  other,  that  its  lines  were  almost 
enfiladed  by  the  heavy  rifled  artillery  of  the  assailants,  posted 
upon  the  ascending  ridges  which  rose  from  the  eastern  margin 
of  the  Antietam  toward  the  mountain.  Here,  however,  General 
Lee  began  the  formation  of  his  line  of  battle,  on  the  15th  of 
September,  by  placing  the  divisions  of  D.  H.  Hill,  Longstreet 
and  Hood  upon  the  range  of  hills  in  front  of  Sharpsburg,  and 
overlooking  Antietam  Creek.  His  line  was  nearly  parallel  to 
this  stream,  and  had  Longstreet  upon  the  right  and  Hill  upon 
the  left  of  the  road  which  led  to  Boonsborough :  while  Hood's  two 
brigades,  stationed  upon  the  left  of  Hill,  extended  that  wing  to 
the  highway  leading  to  Hagerstown.  The  evening  of  that  day 
was  expended  by  the  Federalists  in  feeble  reconnaissances.  But 
on  the  morning  of  the  16th  they  were  evidently  busy  in  posting 
their  batteries,  and  disposing  their  vast  masses  for  a  pitched 
battle.  At  mid-day  General  Jackson  arrived,  with  the  two 
divisions  under  the  command  of  Brigadier- Generals  Jones  and 
Lawton,  and,  after  granting  his  men  a  few  hours'  repose,  took 
position  on  the  left  of  Hood,  nearly  filling  the  space  between  the 
Hagerstown  road  and  the  Potomac.  To  rest  his  extreme  left  in 


PLAN  OF  M'CLELLAN'S  BATTLE.  5G1 

the  neighborhood  of  the  river,  he  was  compelled  to  retract  it 
somewhat  from  the  direct  line.  This  exposed  him  to  two  incon 
veniences,  —  that  his  position  was  thereby  more  completely  enfi- 
laded  by  hostile  batteries  in  front  of  Ins  right,  and  that  space  was 
thus  left  between  him  and  the  Antietam  for  the  collecting  of  a 
heavy  force  of  the  Federalists  before  his  left,  and  on  the  hither 
side  of  that  barrier.  But  no  other  choice  was  left  him ;  the  vast 
numbers  of  M'Clellan  would  otherwise  have  enabled  that  General 
to  swing  around  between  his  extreme  left  and  the  river.  Gen 
eral  Walker,  arriving  with  his  two  brigades  a  little  after  Jackson, 
was  posted  on  the  right  of  Longstreet.  After  spending  the  day 
in  a  heavy  but  useless  cannonade,  M'Clellan  advanced  to  the 
assault  about  sunset  on  the  16th  and  attacked  the  two  brigades 
of  Hood,  on  the  left  of  the  centre,  in  great  numbers.  These 
veteran  commands  received  the  onset  with  firmness,  and  inflicted 
serious  loss  upon  the  assailants.  The  combat  continued  far  into 
the  night,  and  was  suspended  without  result ;  when  Hood's  troops 
were  relieved  by  the  brigades  of  Trimble  and  Lawton,  from  the 
division  of  Ewell  (now  commanded  by  Lawton),  that  they  might 
have  a  much  needed  respite  during  the  night,  to  prepare  food 
and  replenish  their  ammunition.  '  The  two  divisions  of  Jackson 
now  occupied  the  whole  left,  from  that  of  D.  H.  Hill  forth,  and 
the  command  of  Hood  became  the  reserve.  Thus  the  troops 
lay  down  upon  their  arms,  with  the  skirmishers  immediately 
confronting  the  lines  of  the  enemy,  and  sought  such  repose  as 
they  might,  amidst  the  alarms  of  a  continual  dropping  fire. 

The  morning  of  the  17th  of  September  dawned  with  all  the 
mellow  splendor  of  the  American  autumn  j  but  scarcely  had  the 
sun  arisen,  when  its  quiet  and  beauty  were  obscured  by  the 
thunders  and  smoke  of  a  terrific  cannonade,  which  burst  from 
the  whole  Federal  line.  The  plan  of  M-Clellan's  battle  was,  to 
advance  his  right  first,  under  the  lead  of  Generals  Hooker  and 
71 


562  LIFE    OP    LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Mansfield,  who  had  already  made  a  lodgement  west  oi  the  An- 
•tietam,  to  overpower  the  Confederate  left,  and  then  to  sweep 
down  the  stream,  taking  the  remainder  of  General  Lee's  line  in 
reverse,  and  forcing  it  simultaneously  by  a  front  attack.  To 
effect  the  -first  part  of  this  design,  he  hurled  against  the  left  the 
corps  of  Hooker,. Mansfield,  and  Sumner,  containing,  by  his  own 
statement,  forty-four  thousand  combatants,  and  supported  by  five 
or  six  batteries  of  rifled  artillery  from  his  reserves,  besides  the 
numerous  guns  attached  directly  to  their  movements.  But 
so  far  was  this  force  from  proving  adequate  to  his  purpose,  he 
relates  that  the  corps  of  Franklin,  then  numbering  twelve  thou 
sand  men,  was  necessarily  brought  up  as  a  reserve,  and  a  part 
of  it  engaged,  to  prevent  the  Confederates  from  retorting  his 
assault  upon  their  left  by  a  serious  disaster.  Thus,  the  post  of 
danger  and  of  glory  again  fell  to  the  devoted  corps  of  Jackson. 
The  divisions  present  were  now  diminished  by  battle,  straggling, 
and  overpowering  fatigues,  to  an  aggregate  of  less  than  seven 
thousand  men.  With  this  little  band,  supported  by  five  thou 
sand  reserves  under  Hood  and  M'Laws,  of  whom  the  latter  only 
arrived  from  Harper's  Ferry  in  the  crisis  of  the  battle,  did 
Jackson  hold  his  ground  throughout  the  day,  and  breast  every 
onset  of  the  deluge  of  enemies.  His  dispositions  have  already 
been  described  in  part.  The  brigades  of  Lawton  and  Trimble 
were  between  the  Hagerstown  road  and  the  command  of  D.  II. 
Hill.  On  the  left  of  these,  and  parallel  to  that  road,  was  the 
division  of  Jones.  The  brigades  of  Early  and  Hayes  were  at 
first  detached  to  support  the  horse  artillery  of  General  Stuart, 
who,  with  a  portion  of  his  cavalry,  had  seized  an  elevated  hill 
distant  nearly  a  mile  from  the  infantry,  whence  he  proposed  to 
threaten  the  extreme  right  of  the  Federalists.  Hays  was  imme 
diately  recalled  from  this  movement  to  the  support  of  Lawton's 
brigade,  leaving  Early  to  guard  the  batteries  of  Stuart.  This 


JACKSON'S  STUBBORN  RESISTANCE.  5G3 

General;  finding  that  the  wide  interval  between  him  and  General 
Jackson's  left  allowed  the  intrusion  of  the  enemy,  almost  imme 
diately  removed  his  guns  to  a  height  somewhat  farther  to  the 
rear,  and  nearer  to  his  friends.  From  this  position  he  rendered 
essential  service,  not  only  in  guarding  their  flank,  but  in  repuls 
ing  the  onsets  of  the  Federalists,  by  a  spirited  cannonade.  But 
the  advance  of  their  infantry  had  begun  simultaneously  with  the 
furious  fire  of  their  batteries,  and,  by  sunrise,  the  skirmishers 
were  hotly  engaged  in  the  woods  east  of  the  Hagerstown  road. 
Very  soon  the  Confederates  were  driven  out,  and  the  position 
was  occupied  by  large  masses  of  Federal  infantry,  with  several 
batteries  of  artillery, .  which  assailed  the  Confederate  line  in 
front,  while  the  rifled  guns  in  the  distance  raked  them  with  a 
murderous  fire  from  their  right.  But  under  this  double  ordeal, 
the  veterans  of  Jackson  stood  firm,  and  returned  the  fire,  inflict 
ing  a  terrible  slaughter  upon  their  enemies.  For  more  than  an 
hour  this  unequal  contest  raged  with  unabated  fury.  The 
brigade  of  Hayes  was  speedily  called  from  the  second  line  into 
the  first.  General  Lawton,  commanding  the  division,  was  se 
verely  wounded.  Colonel  Douglass,  leading  his  brigade,  was 
killed.  Colonel  Walker,  commanding  Trimble's  brigade,  was 
wounded  and  unhorsed.  General  J.  R.  Jones,  commanding  the 
old  division  of  Jackson,  was  compelled  to  leave  the  field,  and  the 
gallant  General  Starke,  succeeding  him,  was  immediately  slain. 
Trimble's  brigade  had  one-third,  and  the  others  half  their  men 
kors  du  combat ;  and  four  out  of  five  of  their  field  officers  were 
killed  or  wounded.  The  whole  line  was  speedily  reduced  to  a 
shattered  remnant,  which  still  fought  with  invincible  tenacity, 
from  hillock  to  hillock,  and  ledge  to  ledge,  as  they  retired.  It 
was  in  this  terrific  crisis  that  General  Jackson  commanded  Hood 
to  return  to  the  front  and  relieve  the  division  of  Lawton,  and 
recalled  Early  with  his  brigade,  to  assume  the  command  vacated 


564  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

by  the  wounding  of  the  latter.  With  his  accustomed  prowess 
the  heroic  Texan  rushed  forward  against  the  teeming  multitudes 
of  the  enemy,  and  stayed  the  tide  of  battle.  His  two  little 
brigades  engaged  five  times  their  own  numbers ;  and  in  a  deadly 
grapple,  of  several  hours'  duration,  drove  them  steadily  back  a 
quarter  of  a  mile,  and  re-established  the  Confederate  lines. 
After  firing  away  all  his  cartridges,  he  caused  his  men  to  re 
plenish  their  supply  from  the  slain  of  both  armies,  and  still  main 
tained  the  struggle,  until  the  Federalists,  about  mid-day,  remitted 
their  exertions. 

But  General  Early  brought  other  succors  to  the  failing  line  at 
the  same  time  with  Hood.  Marching  his  brigade  by  its  right  flank 
over  sheltered  ground  in  the  rear  of  the  Confederate  lines,  he 
brought  it,  at  the  moment  when  the  division  of  Starke  was 
almost  overpowered,  to  their  assistance.  They  had  been  driven 
from  the  Hagerstown  road,  across  an  elevated  field,  and  into  a 
wood  beyond,  where  the  dauntless  Colonels  Grigsby  and  Staf 
ford  were  endeavoring  to  rally  a  few  score  of  their  brigades. 
The  Federalists  had  already  posted,  a  battery  in  the  road ;  and, 
thinking  the  left  successfully  turned,  were  advancing  heavy 
columns  of  infantry  against  both  the  right  and  the  left  of  the 
ground  which  Early  had  just  assumed.  Informing  General  Jack 
son  of  his  critical  position,  he  assigned  to  Colonel  Grigsby  the 
task  of  holding  the  left  column  in  check  for  a  few  moments,  and 
moved  his  own  brigade  farther  to  the  right,  so  as  to  confront  the 
other,  concealed  from  them  by  the  undulations  of  the  ground. 
Having  gained  the  desired  position,  he  suddenly  disclosed  his 
line,  advanced,  and  attacked  them  with  fury.  They  gave  way 
before  him,  and  he  pursued  them  with  great  slaughter  to  the  road. 
At  this  opportune  moment  the  brigades  of  General  M'Laws  began 
to  arrive  to  his  support, — Kershaw  and  Barksdale  upon  his  right, 
and  Semmes  upon  his  left.  The  Federal  column,  threatening 


M'LAWS   ARRIVES  —  ENEMY   REPULSED.  565 

thai  part  of  his  line  had  just  come  far  enough  to  endanger 
his  left  flank  and  rear,  as  he  advanced  against  the  routed  enemy 
in  his  front.  Early  therefore  arrested  his  men  in  the  ardor  of 
their  pursuit,  changed  his  front,  and  advanced  upon  this  second 
body  of  enemies,  in  conjunction  with  Semmes,  Grigsby,  and  Staf 
ford.  By  this  combined  attack  they  were  swept  summarily,  with 
great  loss,  from  the  woods,  and  the  lines  were  finally  restored. 
At  the  same  time,  the  other  brigades  of  M'Laws  were  advanced 
on  Early's  right  with  admirable  skill  and  spirit,  by  their  com 
mander  ;  and  drove  the  enemy  across  the  woods  and  fields  for 
half  a  mile,  strewing  the  ground  with  killed  and  wounded.  The 
whole  of  General  Jackson's  line  was  then  re-established  by  the 
united  troops  of  Hood,  M'Laws,  and  Early ;  and  the  conflict  of 
the  infantry  sunk  into  a  desultory  skirmish  of  outposts.  But  the 
baffled  Federalists  kept  up,  during  the  remainder  of  the  day,  a 
furious  cannonade  upon  his  position,  under  which  his  men  lay 
quiet  behind  the  hillocks,  rocky  ledges,  and  fences,  suffering  but 
little  loss.  The  share  of  his  wearied  troops  in  the  glories  of  the 
day  was  now  completed.  In  the  afternoon,  indeed,  instructed  by 
the  Commander-in-Chief,  he  made  an  attempt  to  effect  a  diver 
sion  in  favor  of  his  comrades  upon  the  right  and  centre,  by 
attacking  the  extreme  right  of  the  Federalists  in  conjunction 
with  General  Stuart.  But  their  lines  were  found  to  extend  so 
near  the  Potomac,  and  to  be  so  fortified  with  artillery,  that  the 
experiment  was  relinquished.  During  this  terrible  conflict  Gen 
eral  Jackson  exposed  his  life  with  his  customary  imperturbable 
bravery,  riding  among  his  batteries  and  directing  their  fire,  and 
communicating  his  own  indomitable  spirit  to  his  men.  Yet  he 
said  to  a  Christian  comrade,  that  on  no  day  of  battle  had  he  ever 
felt  so  calm  an  assurance  that  he  should  be  preserved  from  all 
personal  harm,  through  the  protection  of  his  Heavenly  Father. 
While  M'Clellan  was  accumulating  his  chief  strength  against 


566  LIFE    OF    LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON-. 

the  Confederate  left,  he  was  also  diligently  preparing  for  an 
attack  in  force  upon  the  centre,  by  feeling  its  lines  with  a  heavy 
artillery  fire.  No  sooner  had  the  tempest  exhausted  its  fury 
upon  Jackson,  than  it  burst  upon  D.  H.  Hill  and  Longstreet,  with 
almost  equal  violence ;  but  it  was  met  with  the  same  determined 
resistance.  To  describe  its  course  would  lead  the  reader  over 
a  precisely  parallel  story  of  fourfold  numbers,  resisted  by  the 
thin  Confederate  lines,  with  a  sublime  heroism  which  supplied 
every  defect  of  force ;  of  the  lamentable  martyrdom  of  devoted 
officers  and  men,  but  avenged  by  bloody  slaughters  of  the  assail 
ants  ;  of  shattered  brigades  reduced  to  handfuls,  and  of  fearful 
onslaughts,  turned  back  by  the  rally  of  these  unconquerable  men, 
when  the  effort  seemed  almost  madness.  At  one  moment,  he 
would  see  vast  masses  of  the  enemy  pouring  through  a  breach  in 
the  single  line  of  Hill,  and  about  to  seize  the  very  key  of  the  Con 
federate  position,  arrested  and  turned  back  by  that  General  with 
four  field-pieces,  and  a  few  hundreds  of  bayonets,  rallied  from 
several  broken  brigades.  .  At  another,  he  would  see  Longstreet, 
sitting  alone  upon  his  horse,  near  a  battery  of  four  field-pieces, 
which  was  supported  by  the  North  Carolina  regiment  of  Cooke. 
without  a  single  cartridge,  and  thus  confronting  and  beating  back 
a  whole  line  of  battle. 

At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  M'Clellan  transferred  his 
attack  to  the  Confederate  right,  and  attempted  with  the  corps  of 
Burnside,  to  force  the  bridge  over  the  Antietam,  leading  from 
the  Pleasant  Yalley.  This  was  immediately  defended  by  several 
batteries,  and  two  regiments  of  General  Toombs's  Georgia  bri 
gade,  stationed  near  the  stream.  These  troops  held  the  enemy's 
advance  in  check  until  they  had  passed  the  stream  in  great  num 
bers  below;  when  they  were  necessarily  withdrawn,  to  avoid 
capture.  Burnside  now  crossed  the  bridge  in  great  force,  and 
attacked  Longstreet's  right,  under  General  D.  R.  Jones,  forcing 


A.  P.  HILL  REPULSES  THE  FEDERAL  LEFT.        567 

him  from  the  range  of  hills  which  commanded  the  approaches. 
An  advance  of  a  few  hundred  yards  more  would  have  given  the 
enemy  control  of  the  roads  leading  from  Sharpsburg  to  the 
Potomac ;  but  here  also  through  the  providence  of  the  Com- 
mander-in- Chief,  timely  succor  was  at  hand.  The  remaining- 
division  of  General  Jackson's  corps,  under  General  A.  P.  Hill, 
having  been  ordered  up  from  Harper's  Ferry,  had  just  reached 
the  field,  and  was  now  sent  to  the  support  of  the  right  wing. 
This  General,  advancing  four  of  his  brigades,  with  his  batteries, 
attacked  the  Federalists,  flushed  with  confidence,  but  disordered 
by  the  rapidity  of  their  advance,  and  immediately  arrested  their 
career.  Assailed  in  flank  by  Toombs,  and  in  front  by  Branch, 
Gregg  and  Archer,  they  wavered,  broke,  and  fled  in  confusion  to 
the  banks  of  the  Antietam,  where  they  sought  protection  under 
the  fire  of  the  numerous  artillery  upon  the  opposite  hills.  In 
this  splendid  combat,  two  thousand  men  of  Hill's  division, 
assisted  by  the  brigade  of  Toombs,  routed  the  fourteen  thousand 
of  "Burnside,  and  drove  them  under  the  shelter  of  M'Clellan's 
reserves. 

The  General  was  now  compelled  to  pass  from  the  aggressive 
to  the  defensive,  and  was  happy  to  be  able  to  prevent  the  Con 
federates  from  crossing  the  bridge  in  turn,  forcing  back  his  left, 
and  separating  him  from  the  mountain  base  which  he  destined 
for  his  refuge  in  case  of  disaster.  To  the  anxious  appeals  of 
Burnside  for  more  men,  and  more  guns,  to  meet  "  the  overpow 
ering  odds  "  against  him,  he  had  no  reply  to  give.  Contenting 
themselves  with  posting  their  beaten  infantry,  and  their  artillery 
so  as  to  contest  the  passage  of  Hill,  they  awaited  the  night, 
which  speedily  came  to  their  assistance.  With  this  affair,  the 
bloody  day  was  closed.  The  two  armies  held  the  same  positions 
which  they  occupied  when  it  began,  save  that  in  the  centre,  the 
Confederate  line  was  retracted  about  two  hundred  vards.  In. 


568  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENEBAL   JACKSON. 

no  battle  of  the  war  had  the  shock  of  arms  been  so  violent  as 
in  this,  Qr  the  cannonade  so  terrible.  On  both  sides,  portions  of 
the  forces  engaged  were  almost  totally  disintegrated  by  the  fury 
of  the  struggle.  The  whole  organized  remainder  of  brigades 
appeared  in  the  form  of  a  few  companies,  and  divisions  were 
reduced  to  the  size  of  regiments. 

The  exhaustion  of  the  Confederates  forbade  the  thought  of 
following  up  their  successes.  But  had  they  been  stronger,  the 
adroit  position  of  M'Clellan  gave  them  little  encouragement  to 
attempt  it.  He  was  able  to  place  the  Antietam  in  his  front,  and 
to  occupy  upon  the  eastern  side,  ground  of  commanding  height. 
Had  he  been  forced  back  from  this,  he  would  have  retired  to 
ranges  of  hills  still  more  elevated,  whence  his  numerous  and 
powerful  artillery  would  have  been  employed  with  still  more 
fatal  effect;  and  had  he  been  defeated,  this  would  only  have 
driven  him  to  the  mountain,  where  he  would  have  been  unassail 
able.  But  on  the  morning  after  the  battle,  General  Lee  firmly 
awaited  another  attack  in  his  first  position.  His  army  had  been 
recruited  already,  by  the  return  of  thousands  of  the  foot-sore 
and  the  stragglers  to  their  ranks,  and  he  was  nothing  loth  to  try 
conclusions  again,  upon  the  same  ground,  with  his  gigantic  adver 
sary.  M'Clellan  had  no  stomach  whatever  for  another  wrestle 
of  the  sort  he  had  just  escaped;  and  thus,  during  the  18th,  the 
two  adversaries  stood  at  bay,  and  busied  themselves  in  burying 
their  dead,  and  removing  their  wounded.  In  the  afternoon, 
General  Lee,  learning  that  M'Clellan  was  about  to  receive  large 
accessions  of  fresh  troops,  and  having  no  corresponding  increase 
of  his  own  strength  in  prospect,  determined  to  recross  the  Poto 
mac  at  Shepherdstown.  As  soon  as  the  darkness  set  in,  this 
^movement  was  commenced,  and  was  continued  all  night.  The 
trains,  the  artillery,  the  wounded,  were  passed  safely  over  j  while 
the  troops  forded  the  shallow  stream  in  a  continuous  column. 


LEE?S   AIM   IN   THE   BATTLE   OF   SHARfSBURG.  569 

Nothing  was  left  to  the  enemy,  except  a  few  hundred  wounded  men, 
whose  sufferings  would  have  been  aggravated  by  their  removal, 
and  a  few  disabled  guns  and  caissons.  The  corps  of  General 
Jackson  now  brought  up  the  rear;  and  its  passage  was  not 
completed  until  10  o'clock  A.  M.  on  the  19th.  For  hours,  he 
was  seen  seated  upon  his  horse  in  the  middle  of  the  river,  as 
motionless  as  a  statue,  watching  the  passage  of  his  faithful  men  ; 
nor  did  he  leave  this  station  until  the  last  man  and  the  last  car 
riage  had  touched  the  southern  shore.  He  then  retired  with  his 
troops ;  and  having  made  suitable  dispositions  for  guarding  the 
fords,  sought  encampments  for  them,  where  they  might  find  the 
much  needed  repose. 

When  M'Clellan  perceived  that  the  Confederates  had  retired 
he  began  to  claim  the  battle  of  Sharpsburg  as  a  glorious  victory. 
He  forgot  that  at  Malvern  Hill  he  had  also  claimed  a  splendid 
victory  because  he  was  permitted  to  do  something  similar  to  that 
which  General  Lee  had  now  done,  except  that  it  was  less  suc 
cessful.  There  he  had  stood  on  the  defensive  in  the  position  of 
his  choice ;  he  had  beaten  off  the  assailants  with  a  loss  equal  to 
his  own ;  he  had  held  his  ground,  in  the  main,  until  the  close  of 
the  battle ;  and  he  had  then  stolen  off  in  the  darkness,  leav 
ing  his  enemy  to  bury  his  dead,  and  to  care  for  many  of  his 
wounded.  Here  General  Lee  had  received  the  attacks  of 
his  foe  in  his  chosen  position;  had  repelled  them  all  with 
enormous  slaughter;  had  slept  upon  his  own  ground;  had 
sent  his  wounded  to  the  rear;  had  buried  his  dead,  save 
where  the  impetuosity  of  his  victorious  men  had  carried  them 
into  the  enemy's  line;  had  offered  battle  defiantly  on  the 
succeeding  day ;  and,  after  this,  had  retired  at  his  leisure,  and 
unmolested.  If  Malvern  Hill  was  a  victory  for  M'Clellan,  by 
parity  of  reasoning,  Sharpsburg  was  more  a  victory  for  Lee. 
But  the  Confederates  did  not  claim  it  as  a  decisive  victory, 
72 


570  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

for  it  did  not  gain  them  the  main  object  for  which  it  was  fought. 
It  has  been  said  that  this  object  was  gained,  for  it  was  the  whole 
end  of  the  battle  to  win  a  safe  exit  out  of  Maryland,  after  the 
brilliant  capture  of  Harper's  Ferry.  This  statement  is  incorrect. 
The  evening  of  the  day  on  which  Harper's  Ferry  fell,  more  than 
half  of  the  army  was  safely  out  of  Maryland,  the  corps  of  Jack 
son,  and  the  divisions  of  M'Laws,  Anderson,  and  Walker  j  it  was 
necessary  for  them  to  re-enter  Maryland,  in  order  to  fight  at 
Sharpsburg.  Nor  is  it  true  that  their  return  was  necessary  to 
extricate  the  remaining  divisions  of  Longstreet,  D.  II.  Hill,  and 
Jones.  These  crossed  the  Antietam  to  Sharpsburg  with  impunity, 
in  the  face  of  M'Clellan's  huge  host,  during  the  forenoon  of 
September  15th,  and  the  onset  upon  them  did  not  begin  in  ear 
nest  until  the  dawn  of  the  17th.  Surely  the  same  skill  and 
firmness  might  have  conducted  them  in  safety  four  miles  farther, 
across  the  Potomac  to  Shepherdstown.  The  battle  of  Sharps 
burg  was  fought  by  the  Confederates,  not  to  purchase  a  secure 
retreat,  but  to  open  their  way  for  triumphant  invasion ;  to  re 
deem  their  offers  of  aid  to  oppressed  Maryland ;  to  conquer  a 
peace  by  defeating  their  oppressors  upon  their  own  soil.  This 
truth  displays  at  once  the  daring  and  hardihood  of  General 
Lee's  conceptions,  and  his  confidence  in  the  prowess  of  his 
army.  He  believed  them  capable  of  everything,  and  so  was 
not  afraid  to  require  of  them  the  greatest  things. 

In  the  daring  policy  of  delivering  this  battle,  General  Jackson 
had  emphatically  concurred  with  him  upon  his  arrival  from  Har 
per's  Ferry  in  advance  of  his  corps.  When  the  Commander-in- 
Chief  determined  to  withdraw  across  the  Potomac  again,  he  also 
approved  this  movement ;  but  added  that,  in  view  of  all  the  cir 
cumstances,  it  was  better  to  have  fought  the  battle  in  Maryland, 
than  to  have  left  it  without  a  struggle.  In  the  larger  part  of 
this  admirable  army,  it  may  be  truly  said,  his  confidence  was 


HIS   ARMY  REDUCED   BY   STRAGGLING.  571 

justly  reposed ;  but  in  this  instance,  he  exacted  of  them  that  of 
which  human  nature  was  scarcely  capable.  The  marches  and 
combats  which  introduced  the  great  day  of  Sharpsburg,  ex 
hausted  the  strength  of  the  men  in  advance.  Many  were  absent 
because  they  were  unable  to  march  with  deficient  rations,  and  ill- 
shod  ;  and  many  others,  who  had  faithfully  dragged  their  weary 
limbs  to  the  field,  had  neither  strength  of  muscle  nor  animal  spirits 
for  its  duties.  This  army,  jaded,  foot-sore,  and  half  famished, 
was  sustained  under  the  toils  of  the  bloody  day,  only  by  its  lofty 
principle,  and  its  devotion  to  its  leaders.  To  their  adversaries, 
even,  they  appeared  wan  and  haggard,  albeit  they  were  as  terri 
ble  as  hungry  wolves.  Men  among  them  were  seen,  while 
advancing  to  the  charge  through  orchards  of  the  G-erman  farmers, 
under  a  hail  of  death,  greedily  devouring  the  apples  from  the 
trees. 

Here,  then,  was  one  explanation  of  the  imperfection  of  Gen 
eral  Lee's  victory.  Another,  more  important,  was  in  the  miser 
able  vice  of  straggling,  which  the  mistaken  good  nature  of  officers 
had  fostered.  For  in  this  army,  so  heroic  as  a  body,  there  were 
two  elements  commingled,  —  the  precious  metal  and  the  vile 
dross,  —  the  true,  patriot,  citizen  soldier,  animated  by  a  high 
principle,  and  the  base  skulker,  who  did  nothing,  save  under 
compulsion.  The  great  vice  of  the  Southern  armies  was  on  this 
occasion  prevalent :  that  the  ignorance  of  the  practical  details 
of  duty  among  officers,  with  the  easy  bonhonunie  of  their  charac 
ter,  remitted  the  bonds  of  discipline ;  so  that  the  base  were  not 
compelled  to  act  with  the  true,  as  one  body.  The  losses  of  the 
army  from  straggling  had  begun  upon  the  Rappahannock.  When 
it  moved  thence  against  Pope,  at  Manassa's,  the  country  behind 
it  was  left  infested  with  thousands  of  laggards  and  deserters, 
who  preyed  upon  the  substance  of  the  citizens,  and  wandered 
about,  with  arms  in  their  hands,  defying  arrest.  At  every  stage 


572  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

of  the  march  this  depletion  increased;  until,  at  the  final  struggle, 
there  were  fewer  Confederate  soldiers  in  line  of  battle,  along 
the  Antietam,  than  there  were  along  the  course  of  the  Potomac, 
and  the  roads  over  which  the  army  had  marched.     General  Lee 
declares  that  the  battle  was  fought  with  less  than  forty  thousand 
men.     The  confusion  reigning  in  many  parts  of  the  army  make 
an  accurate  enumeration  forever  impossible.     But  the  highest 
estimate  made  by  well-informed  actors  in  the  scene  gave  him 
thirty-three  thousand  effective  men.     General  M'Clellan  declares 
officially,  that  Lee's  line  of  battle  was  exeedingly  short.     All 
who  fought  in  it  testified  that  it  was  also  exceedingly  thin.     In 
contrast  with  this  sober  revelation  of  facts,  the  confident  estimates 
of  the  Federal  General  are  set  in  a  ridiculous  light,  when  he 
formally  announces,  to  a  man,  the  exact  number  present  in  each 
of  the  Confederate  corps,  and  makes  up  an  aggregate  of  ninety- 
seven  thousand  four  hundred  and  forty-five  combatants,  opposed 
to  him  on  the  Antietam.    The  fact  that  the  Confederates  defended 
themselves  successfully  against  the  ninety  thousand  men  whom 
he  hurled  against  them,  supported  by  the  most  numerous  and 
complete  artillery  ever  arrayed  on  a  field  of  battle,  is  a  testimony 
to  the  heroism  of  the  men  and  the  skill  of  the  officers,  almost 
inexpressibly  glorious.     The  commendation  of  Jackson  is  best 
written  by  his  adversary,  when  he  says,  in  his  Report,  "  One 
division  of  Sumner's,  and  all  of  Hooker's  corps,  on  the  right,  had, 
after  fighting  most  valiantly  for  several  hours,  been  overpowered 
by  numbers,  driven  back  in  great  disorder,  and  much  scattered." 
Those  numbers,  so  overpowering,  were,  as  the  reader  has  seen, 
less  than  seven  thousand  jaded  men,  supported  by  a  few  hundreds 
of  reserves  from  M'Laws.     That  the  Confederates  accomplished 
so  much  with  their  fragment  of  an  army,  is  the  best  apology  for  the 
daring  policy  of  their  commander.    Had  all  his  men  been  in  their 
places,  and  had  they  fought  as  the  thirty-three  thousand  fought, 


THE   ODDS  AGAINST   LEE.  573 

it  is  ho  idle  vaticination  to  say,  that  the  battle  of  Sharpsburg 
would  have  been  a  magnificent  and  decisive  triumph.  The 
apprehensions  which  M'Clellan  confessed  as  possessing  his  breast 
after  its  close  (September  ISth),  shall  express  its  probable  re 
sults.  "At  that  moment,  Virginia  lost,  Washington  menaced, 
Maryland  invaded,  the  national  cause  could  aiford  no  risks  of 
defeat.  One  battle  lost,  and  almost  all  would  have  been  lost. 
Lee's  army  might  then  have  marched,  as  it  pleased,  on  Washing 
ton.  Baltimore,  Philadelphia,  or  New  York.  It  could  have  levied 
its  supplies  from  a  fertile  and  undevastated  country,  extorted 
tribute  from  wealthy  and  populous  cities;  and  nowhere  east 
of  the  Alleghanies  was .  there  another  organized  force  able  to 
arrest  its  march." 

But  it  will  be  well  to  pause  here,  and  answer  a  question  which 
has  doubless  been  frequently  raised  in  the  reader's  mind,  by  the 
astonishing  discrepancies  between  the  confident  estimates  made 
by  M-Clellan  of  his  adversary's  numbers  and  the  sober  statements 
of  the  Confederate  reports.  The  doubt  has  arisen,  "  Can  it  be, 
that  a  General  of  M'Clellan's  acknowledged  skill  should  be  so 
incapable  of  measuring  the  size  of  the  force  acting  before  him, 
or  that  an  official  occupying  so  high  a  position  among  a  civilized 
people  can  be  so  capable  of  deliberate  lying  concerning  matters 
of  fact  ?  "  The  answer  is  to  be  found  chiefly  in  the  traits  of  his 
people.  Their  general  vanity  and  falsehood  prompted  his  offi 
cers  and  men,  when  beaten  by  the  Confederates,  to  cover  their 
own  cowardice  under  wondrous  tales  of  the  overpowering  num 
bers  before  which  they  gave  way.  Thus,  M'Clellan,  who,  it  was 
well  known,  was  not  accustomed  to  risk  his  person  by  too  near 
an  inspection  of  the  incidents  of  battle,  was  perpetually  made 
the  victim  of  a  system  of  lies  and  exaggerations,  passed  upon 
him  by  his  subordinates,  to  cloak  their  own  cowardice.  It  is  to 
precisely  this  source  that  the  most  of  his  military  blunders  are 


574  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

traceable.  And  this  is  one  among  the  manifold  illustrations  ol 
the  intrinsic  weakness  of  sin.  Virtue  is  always  the  stronger  in 
the  end. 

To  return.  Another  cause  of  imperfect  success  to  the  Con 
federate  arms,  was  the  too  great  dispersion  of  their  forces 
before  the  battle.  The  fact  that  so  much  was  effected  with  the 
portion  present  on  the  morning  of  the  17th,  shows  how  complete 
the  victory  might  have  been,  had  all  the  divisions  been  on  the 
ground,  and  suitably  refreshed  by  rest  and  food.  The  prize  at 
Harper's  Ferry,  left  within  General  Lee's  grasp.,  not  by  the  fore 
cast,  but  by  the  folly  of  the  enemy,  yet  proved  the  occasion  of 
their  rescue  from  destruction.  The  splendid  bait  was  seized ; 
but  it  caused  Jackson  to  arrive  wearied  and  depleted  by  forced 
marches,  and  it  detained  the  divisions  of  A.  P.  Hill,  M'Laws,  and 
Anderson,  and  then  placed  them  at  the  scene  of  combat  with 
exhausted  strength,  after  it  had  been  raging  for  hours.  Had 
those  forces  been  present  at  the  beginning,  which  arrived  during 
the  day,  a  concerted  onset  would  have  converted  the  repulse  of 
M'Clellan  into  a  disastrous  defeat. 

The  cause  of  the  Confederates  suffered  also  from,  indiscreet 
management  of  their  artillery  in  some  parts  of  the  field.  Inferior 
in  number  and  range  of  guns,  in  the  quantity  and  quality  of 
ammunition,  and  in  the  experience  of  the  gunners,  it  should  not 
have  attempted  to  cope  with  the  distant  Federal  batteries.  To 
them  it  should  have  made  no  reply :  but,  protecting  itself  from 
their  fire  until  the  auspicious  moment,  it  should  have  confined 
itself  to  driving  back-  their  masses  of  infantry,  when  they  ven 
tured  to  expose  themselves  at  close  quarters. 

The  prime  error  of  M'Clellan  in  this  campaign  was  his  mis 
take  concerning  the  numbers  of  his  opponent  j  for  out  of  this  his 
other  errors  grew.  Of  these,  not  the  least  wa's  his  timid  delay 
in  pressing  General  Lee  at  Sharpsburg,  and  M'Laws  at  Pleasant 


RESPECTIVE   LOSSES.  575 

Valley,  on  the  15th  and  16th.  He  had  then  attained  that  oppor 
tunity  to  deal  with  the  parts  of  the  invading  army  separated,  for 
which  he  represented  himself  as  manoeuvring:  a  great  captain 
would  have  used  the  precious  advantage  while  it  lasted,  by  hurl 
ing  his  troops  at  once,  with  such  imperfect  preparation  as  they 
might  have,  against  their  foes.  His  handling  of  his  forces  on  the 
1 7th  was  also  faulty  in  two  important  particulars.  His  attacks 
upon  the  Confederate  left,  centre,  and  right,  were  successive, 
instead  of  simultaneous.  The  one  movement  was  decided 
adversely  before  the  next  was  seriously  begun,  and  the  wings 
of  his  army  consequently  gave  each  other  little  mutual  support. 
And  second :  it  was  an  inexcusable  error  to  permit  the  day  to 
be  decided  against  him,  with  fifteen  thousand  reserves  of  veteran 
troops  lying  passive  behind  the  Antietarn.  For  all  useful  pur 
poses,  the  corps  of  Fitz-John  Porter  might  as  well  have  been  in 
Washington  City.  It  may  be  right  for  the.  General  who  is  very 
distant  from  his  supplies  and  reinforcements,  to  husband  his 
reserves,  even  at  the  cost  of  surrendering  a  victory ;  but  M'Clel- 
lan  was  very  near  to  his,  having  two  or  three  fresh  divisions 
within  a  few  hours'  march.  It  appears,  therefore,  that  the  faults 
of  his  tactics  here  were  again  those  of  over-caution.  His  best 
apology  is  to  be  found  in  the  indomitable  quality  of  the  troops 
opposed  to  him. 

It  remains  to  speak  of  the  losses  of  the  two  parties  to  this 
sanguinary  battle.  General  Jackson  reported  a  total  loss  in  his 
command,  during  the  operations  at  Harper's  Ferry  and  Sharps- 
burg,  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-one  officers  and  men  killed,  two 
thousand  and  thirty  wounded,  and  fifty-seven  missing.  Nearly 
all  of  this  loss  was  incurred  at  the  latter  place.  The  loss  of  the 
whole  Confederate  army,  while  in  Maryland,  was  ten  thousand 
three  hundred,  killed  and  wounded,  of  whom  one  thousand  five 
hundred  and  sixty-seven  were  killed.  The  confusions  of  the 


576  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

campaign  left  no  means  to  discriminate  between  those  lost  at 
Boonsborough  and  Crampton's  Gaps,  at  Harper's  Ferry,  and  in 
the  final  struggle.  General  M'Clellan  asserts  that  the  losses  of 
the  Confederates  in  killed  and  wounded,  at  the  two  places  first 
named,  were  as  great  as  two  thousand  five  hundred.  If  this  is 
true,  then  the  casualties  of  the  Confederates  at  Sharpsburg  were 
under  eight  thousand.  He  sets  down  the  aggregate  of  his  own 
losses  during  the  Maryland  campaign  at  about  fifteen  thousand 
two  hundred  men,  of  whom  two  thousand  were  killed  and 
wounded  in  the  preliminary  skirmishes  and  combats.  He  thus 
leaves  thirteen  thousand  as  his  loss  in  the  battle  of  Sharpsburg. 
His  own  blunders,  in  the  indiscreet  attempts  he  so  often  made 
to  estimate  the  casualties  of  his  adversary,  are  a  lesson  of  cau 
tion  against  a  too  dogmatic  attempt  to  correct  this  statement. 
It  will  therefore  be  left,  with  the  accompanying  fact,  that  the 
hospital  returns  of  the  medical  authorities  of  his  Government 
showed  an  increase  of  thirty  thousand  patients,  from  his  com 
mand,  as  consequent  upon  the  operations  of  this  short  campaign. 
The  close  of  this  series  of  events  was  marked  by  one  more 
combat,  which  shed  a  parting  beam  of  glory  upon  the  military 
genius  of  General  Jackson,  and  the  bravery  of  a  part  of  his 
troops.  After  crossing  the  Potomac  upon  the  19th  of  September, 
he  withdrew  his  corps  four  miles,  upon  the  road  toward  Martins- 
burg,  and  caused  them  to  encamp.  Brigadier- General  Pendleton,. 
the  chief  of  the  reserved  artillery  of  General  Lee's  army,  was 
stationed  with  thirty  guns  upon  the  heights  overlooking  the 
river,  supported  by  the  shattered  remnant  of  Lawton's  brigade, 
to  guard  it  against  the  passage  of  the  enemy  in  pursuit.  These 
arrangements  had  not  long  been  made,  when  the  Federalists 
began  to  establish  heavy  batteries  of  artillery  upon  the  opposite 
heights,  to  protect  the  advance  of  their  troops  to  the  attack ;  and 
Mtz-John  Porter's  corps,  which  had  been  held  in  reserve  at 


COMBAT  OF  BOTELER'S  FORD.  577 

Sharpsburg,  appeared  on  the  river-bank.  This  General,  after 
nightfall,  sent  a  detachment  across  a  point  above  the  batteries  of 
Pendleton :  which,  advancing  unobserved,  came  so  near  the  base 
of  the  heights  upon  which  he  was  posted,  as  to  be  protected  from 
an  effectual  cannonade ;  while  the  infantry,  discouraged  by  their 
previous  losses,  and  the  absence  of  their  accustomed  commander, 
were  seized  with  panic,  and  fled.  The  thirty  guns  of  Pendleton 
were  now  exposed  to  capture,  and  four  of  them  fell  at  once  into 
the  hands  of  the  Federalists;  while  the  captains  of  the  other 
batteries  withdrew  the1  remainder,  to  rescue  them  from  a  similar 
fate.  At  midnight  General  Pendleton  came  to  the  camps  of  the 
army,  to  report  these  alarming  facts ;  and  added  to  them,  what 
he  then  supposed  to  be  true,  that  all  his  guns  had  met  the  fate 
of  the  four  first  taken. 

"Lee  had  already  made  provision  against  a  pursuit  of  M'Clel- 
lan,  although  deeming  him  probably  too  much  crippled  at 
Sharpsburg  to  venture  immediately  into  Virginia,  by  entrusting 
the  defence  of  his  rear  to  General  Jackson,  and  by  sending 
General  Stuart  with  his  cavalry  back  across  the  river  at  Wil- 
lianisport,  'to  threaten  the  enemy's  right  flank  and  harass  his 
movements.  But  now,  concluding  from  the  report  of  General 
Pendleton,  that  the  Federal  army  might  be  attempting  to  follow 
him,  he  sent  at  once  to  General  Jackson,  directing  him  to  pre 
pare  for  assailing  them,  and  informing  him  of  his  purpose  to 
support  the  attack,  if  necessary,  with  his  whole  army.  But 
General  Jackson,  to  whom  Pendleton  had  made  the  same  report, 
as  to  the  General  commanding  the  approaches  next  the  enemy, 
did  not  tarry  for  further  prompting.  He  had  already  risen,  and 
gone  toward  Boteler's  Ford,  a  crossing  a  little  below  the  posi 
tion  just  lost  by  Pendleton,  and  had  ordered  the  division  of  A. 
P.  Hill,  that  of  Early,  (who  was  now  t?*e  successor  of  Lawton,) 
and  that  of  D.  II.  Hill,  (which  had  the  day  before  been  perma- 
73 


678  LIFE   OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

nently  assigned  to  his  corps,}  to  follow  him  thither  immediately. 
Meantime  General  Lee  had  sent  orders  to  General  Longstreet  to 
countermarch  his  corps  and  rejoin  him,  that  he  might  proceed 
with  him  to  the  support  of  Jackson.  The  messengers  sent  to 
place  the  latter  in  communication  with  the  Commandcr-in- Chief, 
with  difficulty  found  him,  in  advance  of  all  his  troops,  without, 
escort,  examining  the  posture  of  the  enemy's  force,  while  the 
division  of  A.  P.  Hill  was  rapidly  advancing  to  the  front." 

On  the  north  bank  of  the  Potomac  were  planted  seventy 
pieces  of  heavy  artillery,  while  under  their  protection,  a  consid 
erable  force  of  infantry  had  passed  to  the  southern  side,  and 
were  drawn  up  in  line  upon  the  high  banks  next  the  river. 
Under  the  direction  of  General  Jackson,  Hill  formed  his  gallant 
division  in  two  lines,  and  advanced  to  the  attack,  regardless  of 
the  terrific  storm  of  projectiles  from  the  batteries  beyond  the 
river.  The  enemy  attempted  for  a  time  to  resist  him,  by  bear 
ing  heavily  against  his  left ;  but  his  second  line,  marching  by  the 
left  flank,  disclosed  itself  from  behind  the  first,  and  advanced  to 
its  support ;  when  the  two  charging  simultaneously,  and  converg 
ing  toward  the  mass  of  the  Federalists,  swept  them  down  the 
hill,  and  drove  them  into  the  river.  Now  occurred  a  scene  of 
carnage,  in  which  the  bloodiest  spirit  of  revenge  might  have 
Bated  itself  for  all  the  losses  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 
The  troops  of  Hill  rushed  down  the  declivity  regardless  of  the 
plunging  shot  and  shell  of  the  opposing  batteries,  hurled  their 
adversaries  by  hundreds  into  the  water,  and  as  they  endeavored 
to  struggle  across,  picked  them  off  with  unerring  aim.  The  sur 
face  of  the  broad  river  was  black  with  the  corpses  of  the  foe, 
and  few  of  the  luckless  column  ever  reached  the  northern  bank. 
This  was  one  of  those  rare  opportunities,  which  victory  some 
times  gives  to  her  favorites,  to  repay  themselves  in  one  trium 
phant  hour  for  all  the  sufferings  and  injuries  of  a  campaign ; 


M'CLELLAN'S  NOTICE  OF  IT.  579 

and  well  did  the  veterans  of  Hill  employ  the  precious  season. 
When  the  last  of  the  intruders  was  destroyed  or  escaped,  they 
withdrew  a  short  distance,  and  guarded  the  ford  for  the 
remainder  of  the  day ;  but  M'Clellan  had  learned  a  lesson  which 
inspired  due  regard  for  the  Confederate  rear,  and  henceforth 
kept  a  respectful  distance.  When  a  second  messenger  from 
General  Lee  arrived,  to  seek  for  General  Jackson,  he  found  him 
watching  the  repulse  of  the  enemy.  His  only  remark  was : 
"  With  the  blessing  of  Providence,  they  will  soon  be  driven 
back."  In  this  combat,  General  A.  P.  Hill  did  not  employ  a 
single  piece  of  artillery^  but  relied  upon  the  musket  and  bayonet 
alone.  Early  was  at  hand  with  his  division  to  support  him ;  but 
no  occasion  arose  for  his  assistance.  The  whole  loss  of  the 
Confederates  was  thirty  killed,  and  two  hundred  and  thirty-one 
wounded.  The  Federalists  admitted  a  loss  of  three  thousand 
killed  and  drowned,  and  two  hundred  prisoners ;  and  one  large 
brigade  was  nearly  extinguished  by  the  disaster. 

General  M'Clellan,  in  his  narrative  of  his  war,  only  notices 
the  combat  of  Boteler's  Ford  as  a  reconnaissance  of  secondary 
importance,  which  he  despatches  in  a  few  lines.  But  it  does  not 
admit  of  question,  that  it  was  the  beginning  of  a  General 
advance  against  General  Lee.  Commanders  do  not  make  mere 
reconnaissances  with  seventy  pieces  of  heavy  artillery,  laboriously 
posted  upon  difficult  heights.  General  M'Clellan  declared  him 
self  under  the  most  urgent  pressure  from  Washington,  not  to 
allow  the  "Rebels,"  whom  he  had  described  to  his  masters  as  a 
herd  of  fugitives  discomfited  by  his  mighty  arm,  to  escape  with 
out  destruction.  He  was  commanded  to  follow  stroke  with 
stroke,  until  they  were  consumed  from  off  the  face  of  the  earth. 
He  found  it  necessary  to  make  a  formal  argument,  to  show  that 
he  was  not  blameworthy  for  postponing  their  destruction  later 
than  the  morning  of  September  18th.  He  declared  that  all  his 


580  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

dispositions  were  made  to  fight  a  general  action  on  the  19th, 
and  that  nothing  prevented  it,  save  the  retreat  of  General  Lee 
during  the  night.  The  reader  who  duly  weighs  these  things  will 
hardly  believe  but  that  the  advance  of  the  20th,  at  Boteler's 
Ford,  was  the  commencement  of  that  general  assault,  intended 
for  the  previous  day. 

This  truth  is  necessary  to  enable  him  to  apprehend  the  value 
of  the  service  now  rendered  to  his  country  by  the  military 
genius  of  Jackson.  The  Confederate  army,  wearied  by  almost 
superhuman  exertions;  reduced  by  battle  and  straggling;  de 
prived  of  its  known  leaders,  by  the  wounding  or  death  of  the 
larger  number  of  the  gallant  field  officers  present ;  and  disheart 
ened  by  its  terrible  sufferings,  —  was  in  no  condition  to  fight 
another  pitched  battle.  General  Jackson  appreciated  these 
facts,  and  hence  felt  the  urgent  necessity  of  avoiding  a  general 
action  by  a  prompt  resistance  to  the  initial  movements  of  the 
Federalists.  When  he  had  decided  this,  he  showed  equal  judg 
ment  in  selecting  the  division  of  A.  P.  Hill  to  lead  the  attack- 
Tins  body  of  troops,  arriving  at  Sharpsburg  late  in  that  dread 
ful  day,  had  taken  a  short  and  comparatively  bloodless,  but 
glorious,  share  in  its  labors  in  repulsing  the  corps  of  the  feeble 
Burnside.  Their  numbers  were  less  diminished  and  their  spirits 
less  worn  than  those  of  any  other  troops  in  the  army.  To  them 
therefore,  General  Jackson  entrusted  the  post  of  honor  on  this 
morning, —  and  well  did  they  discharge  the  trust.  Through 
them,  General  Jackson  probably  saved  the  army  on  that  occa 
sion  from  destruction. 

It  is  always  as  unwise  as  it  is  evil,  to  misrepresent  the  truth. 
The  Federalists,  in  their  overweening  vanity  and  arrogance, 
claimed  a  victory  at  Sharpsburg  to  which  they  knew  they  were 
riot  entitled ;  and  filled  the  public  ear  with  fictions  of  the  discomfi 
ture  of  the  Confederates  which  they  knew  were  exaggerated. 


PRICfl   OF   FEDERAL   MISREPRESENTATIONS.  531 

They  thus  created  for  themselves  a  moral  necessity  to  press 
them  with  boldness,  and  the  penalty  was  the  slaughter  of  Sep 
tember  20th.  The  three  thousand  corpses  floating  down  the 
Potomac,  or  lining  its  banks,  were  the  price  paid  by  them  for  the 
vain  boastings  of  September  17th. 


OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 


CHAPTER    XYIII. 

FREDEEICKSBURG. 

A  EESPITE  now  occurred  in  the  storms  of  war,  when  it  was 
permitted  to  contemplate  General  Jackson  and  his  soldiers  in  a 
more  peaceful  and  pleasing  attitude.  The  army  was  withdrawn 
a  few  miles,  to  the  banks  of  the  Opequon,  a  tributary  of  the 
Potomac,  which  flows  to  the  eastward  of  Winchester  and  Mar- 
tinsburg,  and  empties  into  it  a  little  above  Harper's  Ferry. 
Here  they  encamped  for  a  number  of  weeks,  in  the  bosom  of 
the  most  charming  regions  of  the  lower  Valley.  The  beauty  of 
the  season  surpassed  even  the  accustomed  glories  of  the  Virgin 
ian  autumn ;  and  amidst  days  of  unclouded  serenity,  free  alike 
from  the  ardors  of  summer,  and  the  extremes  of  winter,  the 
tired  soldiers  recruited  their  strength,  reposing  upon  the  "rich 
meadows  and  pastures  of  the  Opequon.  Man  and  beast  alike 
revelled  in  abundance ;  for  the  teeming  productiveness  of  those 
Valley  farms  seemed  to  defy  the  exhaustion  of  war,  and  the 
sweet  and  luxuriant  greensward  made  the  war-horse  forget  the 
necessity  of  other  provender.  Here,  a  few  days  of  repose 
restored  the  elastic  spirits  of  the  men ;  for  the  Southern  soldier 
is  quick  to  forget  his  toils,  and  resume  his  hopes.  The  livouacs 
under  the  golden  and  crimson  foliage  of  the  trees,  echoed  with 
exuberant  laughter  and  mirth;  and  the  heroes  of  a  score  of 
deadly  fields,  with  the  light  hearts  of  pleased  children,  made  a  jest 
of  every  trifle.  Their  passionate  attachment  to  "  Olfl  Stonewall " 


THE   ARMY   RESTS   AND   RECRUITS.  583 

was  now  at  its  height;  and  his  appearance  rarely  failed  to 
evoke  a  burst  of  enthusiasm.  As  the  men  heard  the  mighty 
cheer  rolling  toward  them  like  a  wave,  from  the  distant  camps, 
they  sprung  to  their  feet,  saying,  "  There  comes  old  Jack,"  and 
prepared  to  join  in  swelling  the  chorus.  His  heart  also  was 
soothed  and  gladdened  with  the  rest,  and  the  society  of  the  peo 
ple  of  his  beloved  District.  He  was  now  in  the  Valley,  for 
which  he  had  fought  first  and  longest,  the  region  of  his  chosen 
home,  the  scenery  in  which  he  most  delighted,  and  amidst  that 
sturdy  population  whose  loyalty  so  cheered  his  heart.  Win 
chester,  that  gallant  and  hospitable  town,  was  near  by ;  and  he 
could  once  more  mingle  there  with  the  friends  of  the  first  year 
of  the  war,  and  see  them  emancipated  from  the  hated  yoke  of 
the  Federals. 

But  General  Jackson's  rest  was  never  idleness.  He  was  dili 
gently  improving  the  interval  of  quiet,  in  refitting  his  men  with 
shoes  and  clothing,  in  recalling  the  stragglers  to  the  ranks, 
and  composing  the  disorders  of  organization,  produced  by  the 
arduous  service  of  the  summer.  His  regiments  were  again 
rapidly  filled  up  by  the  return  of  the  foot-sore,  the  wounded,  and 
the  sick,  and  the  addition  of  new  recruits ;  and  his  corps  was 
enlarged  to  the  proportions  of  a  gallant  army.  On  the  llth  of 
October,  the  Government  conferred  on  him  the  rank  of  Lieuten- 
ant-General,  Jiext  to  the  highest  military  grade  in  its  service. 
The  army  of  General  Lee  was  now  divided  into  two  great  corps, 
or  wings,  of  which  the  one  was  permanently  assigned  to  Jackson, 
and  the  other  to  Longstreet.  Henceforth  these  two  great  sol 
diers  became  as  the  two  hands  of  their  Commander,  and  served 
him  with  a  generous  emulation  and  mutual  respect,  as  honorable 
to  them  as  their  well  proved  heroism.  The  organization  of 
General  Jackson's  corps,  was  now  confirmed.  It  consisted  of 
four  divisions,  the  original  division  commanded  by  him  in  the 


584  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

Valley  campaign,  now  led  by  Brigadier- General  TVm.  B.  Talia- 
ferro ;  the  division  of  Ewell,  commanded  by  Brigadier-General 
Early,  who  was  soon  after  rewarded  for  his  eminent  services  by 
the  rank  of  Major-General ;  the  division  of  Major-General  A.  P. 
Hill;  and  that  of  Major-General  D.  II.  Hill.  To  these  were 
attached  numerous  batteries,  arranged  into  battalions  of  artillery 
under  the  various  division  Generals,  but  all  supervised  by  Colo 
nel  Crutchfield.  A  part  of  the  spoils  of  Harper's  Ferry  was 
now  assigned  to  the  most  meritorious  of  these  batteries ;  ana 
their  equipment  became  more  perfect' than  ever  before.  To  the 
famous  company  of  Poague,  of  the  Stonewall  Brigade,  especially, 
were  assigned  four  of  the  heavy  rifled  guns,  upon  the  construc 
tion  of  which  the  Federals  had  exhausted  all  their  resources  t)f 
skill  and  wealth ;  and  this  battery  continued  to  hold  its  hardly 
earned  place  as  the  elite  body  of  the  corps. 

This  pleasing  leisure  was  also  employed  in  a  manner  yet  more 
congenial  to  the  heart  of  Jackson,  in  extraordinary  labors  for 
the  spiritual  good  of  the  men.  Not  only  did  the  chaplains  now 
redouble  their  diligence  in  preaching,  and  instructing  the  soldiers 
from  tent  to  tent;  but  many  eminent  ministers  availed  them 
selves  of  the  lull  in  the  storm  of  war,  and  of  the  genial  weather, 
to  visit  the  camps,  and  preach  the  gospel  as  missionaries.  These 
were  received  by  General  Jackson  with  affectionate  hospitality ; 
and  while  no  military  duty  was  neglected  for  a  moment,  to  make 
way  for  their  ministrations,  his  pious  ingenuity  found  abundant 
openings  for  them.  It  was  now  that  the  series  of  labors,  and  the 
ingathering  of  precious  souls  began  in  the  Confederate  army, 
which  have  continued  ever  since  so  extraordinary  a  feature  of 
its  character.  The  most  enlightened  and  apostolic  clergymen 
of  the  country,  forgetting  for  the  time  the  distinctions  of  sect, 
joined  in  these  meetings.  Nightly,  these  novel  and  sacred  scenes 
might  be  witnessed,  after  the  drill  and  the  labors  of  the  day 


RELIGIOUS  REVIVAL.  585 

were  over.  From  the  bosom  of  some  moon-lit  grove  a  hymn  was 
heard;  raised  by  a  few  voices,  the  signal  for  the  service ;  "and,  at 
this  sound,  the  multitudinous  noises  of  the  camps  died  away, 
while  the  men  were  seen  gathering  from  every  side,  until  the 
group  from  which  the  hymn  had  arisen  was  swelled  into  a  great 
crowd.  The  man  of  God  then  arose,  and  began  his  service  by 
the  light  of  a  solitary  candle,  or  a  fire  of  resinous  pine-wood, 
elevated  on  a  rude  platform.  While  his  face  and  the  pages  of 
the  holy  "Word  were  illuminated  thus,  all  else  was  in  solemn 
shadow ;  and  his  eye  could  distinguish  nothing  of  his  audience, 
save  the  dusky  outline  of  the  multitude  seated  all  around,  in  a 
wide  circle,  upon  the  dry  leaves,  or  the  greensward.  But  though 
his  eye  could  not  mark  the  impress  of  the  truth,  it  was  drank  in 
by  eager  ears ;  and  many  was  the  bearded  cheek,  which  had  not 
been  blanched  amidst  the  horrors  of  Sharpsburg,  which  was  now 
wet  with  silent  tears.  At  some  of  these  meetings  General  Jack 
son  was  a  constant  worshipper,  seated  modestly  in  an  unnoticed 
corner  amidst  the  common  soldiers,  but  setting  the  example  of 
the  most  devout  attention.  In  his  letters  to  his  friends,  he 
related  the  success  of  the  Word  among  his  men,  with  ascriptions 
of  warm  and  adoring  gratitude  to  God.  One  of  these,  addressed 
to  Mrs.  Jackson,  must  suffice  as  an  instance : — 

"  BUNKER  HILL,  October  13th. 

"  Mr.  G invited  me  to  be  present  at  communion  in  his 

church  yesterday,  but  I  was  prevented  from  enjoying  the  privi 
lege.  But  I  heard  an  excellent  sermon  from  the  Rev.  Dr.  S . 

His  text  was  I.  Timothy,  chap,  ii:  5th  and* 6th  verses."  ("For 
there  is  one  God,  and  one  Mediator  between  God  and  men,  the 
man  Christ  Jesus,  who  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  all,  to  be  testi 
fied  in  due  time.")  "  It  was  a  powerful  exposition  of  the  word 
of  God.  He  is  a  great  revival  minister  j  and  when  he  came  to 
74 


586  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSON. 

the  word  l himself]  he  placed  an  emphasis  on  it,  and  gave  to  it, 

ttirough  God's  blessing,  a  power  that  I  never  before  felt 

And  I  felt,  with  an  intensity  that  I  never  before  recollect  having 
realized,  that  truly  the  sinner  who  does  not,  under  gospel  priv 
ileges,  turn  to  God,,  deserves  the  agonies  of  perdition.  The  Doctor 
several  times  in  appealing  to  the  sinner,  repeated  the  sixth  verse 
'  Who  gave  himself  a  ransom  for  all,  to  be  testified  in  due  time,' 
What  more  could  God  do  than  give  himself  a  ransom  ?  ....  He 
is  laboring  in  a  revival  in  General  Swell's  division.  Oh,  it  is  a 
glorious  privilege  to  be  a  minister  of  the  gospel  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace  !  There  is  no  equal  position  in  this  world." 

Such  was  the  estimate  of  the  worth  of  the  minister's  work,  by 
one  whose  fame  was  then  filling  the  civilized  world.  It  may  be 
added,  once  for  all,  that  this  religious  reformation,  which  was 
destined  to  be  spread  so  widely  through  the  army  by  General 
Jackson's  efforts,  bore  the  fruits  of  a  true  work  of  God's  grace. 
That  there  was  more  apparent  bloom  than  fruit,  as  in  every 
other  ingathering  which  ever  blessed  the  Church,  from  the  Pen 
tecostal  down,  is,  of  course,  fully  admitted.  It  is  not  to  be 
supposed  that  there  were  no  good  people  engaged  in  it,  whose 
mistaken  zeal  led  them  to  push  it  on  by  indiscreet  means,  and 
no  converts  whose  temporary  warmth  was  due  rather  to  the 
gregarious  sympathies  of  the  camp;  than  to  the  truth  and  Spirit. 
But  still,  there  was  a  glorious  reformation  in  many  souls  to  true 
holiness,  diminishing  permanently  the  wickedness  of  the  camps, 
turning  many  finally  away  from  their  sins.  It  was  the  uniform 
testimony  of  even  the  ungodly,  that  the  commands  most  largely 
blessed  by  this  reform  became  the  most  efficient  in  the  service 
of  their  country ;  with  the  best  discipline,  the  fewest  stragglers, 
and  the  steadiest  behavior  in  battle.  It  was  the  general  con 
clusion  of  the  whole  people,  that  the  subsequent  efficiency 


HIS  SPIRITUAL  JOY.  587 

of  the  corps  was  promoted  as  much  by  this  work  of  divine  grace 
as  by  the  professional  ability  of  General  Jackson. 

It  was  a  little  after  the  date  of  the  letter  just  quoted,  that  one 
of  those  instances  arose  in  which  he  disclosed  to  others  his  spiri 
tual  emotions.  The  night  was  damp  and  rainy,  when  a  brother 
officer  whom  he  greatly  valued  visited  him  on  business.  After 
this  was  despatched,  Jackson  seemed  to  have  a  leisure  unwonted 
for  him,  and  urged  his  friend  to  remain,  and  spend  a  short  time 
in  relaxation.  Although  the  latter  did  not -yet  call  himself  a 
Christian,  indeed,  he  was  one  for  whose  spiritual  good  the  Gene 
ral  was  greatly  concerned.  The  conversation  was  soon  insensi 
bly  turned  on  the  things  of  Redemption.  His  friend  related  how 
Dr.  S., — the  eminent  minister  mentioned  in  the  last  letter, — 
had  been  understood  by  him  to  declare,  that  the  fear  of  wrath 
did  not  enter  at  all  as  an  element  of  that  godly  sorrow  for  sin, 
which  marks  true  repentance ;  but  that  it  was  prompted  solely 
by  love  and  gratitude.  The  General  answered,  that  the  doctrine 
intended  by  Dr.  S.  had  probably  been  misapprehended  by  him. 
For  his  part,  he  supposed  that,  in  the  new-born  believer,  both 
fear  and  love  actuated  his  repentance.  But  as  his  assurance 
became  more  clear  of  the  Redeemer's  mercy  to  his  soul,  his  obe 
dience  became  less  servile,  and  more  affectionate ;  until,  in  the 
most  favored  saints,  perfect  love  cast  out  fear.  He  then  declared 
that  he  had  been,  himself,  for  a  long  time,  a  stranger  to  fear  of 
wrath  5  because  he  Jc?iew  and  was  assured  of  the  love  of  Christ  to 
his  soul ;  that  he  felt  not  the  faintest  dread  that  he  should  ever 
fall  under  the  wrath  of  God,  although  a  great  sinner ;  because 
he  knew  that  it  was  forever  reconciled  by  the  righteousness  of 
Christ,  and  that  love  for  God  and  Christ  was  now  the  practical 
spring  of  all  his  penitence.  Speaking  thus,  Jackson  arose  from 
his  seat,  and,  witli  an  impressive  union  of  humility  and  solemn 
elation,  continued  in  substance  thus :  "  Nothing  earthly  can  mar 


588  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

my  happiness.  I  know  that  heaven  is  in  store  for  me ;  and  I 
should  rejoice  in  the  prospect  of  going  there  to-morrow.  Under 
stand  me :  I  am  not  sick ;  I  am  not  sad ;  God  has  greatly  blessed 
me ;  and  I  have  as  much  to  love  here  as  any  man,  and  life  is  very 
bright  to  me.  But,  still,  I  am  ready  to  leave  it  any  day,  without 
trepidation  or  regret,  for  that  heaven  which  I  know  awaits  me, 
through  the  mercy  of  my  Heavenly  Father.  And  I  would  not  agree 

to  the  slightest  diminution  of  one  shade  of  my  glory  there" 

[Here  he  paused,  as  though  to  consider  what  terrestrial  measure 

he  might  best  select  to  express  the  largeness  of  his  joys] "  No : 

not  for  all  the  fame  which  I  have  acquired,  or  shall  ever  win  in 
this  world."  "With  these  words  he  sunk  into  his  chair,  and  his 
friend  retired — awe-struck,  as  though  he  had  seen  the  face  of  an 
angel.  But  he  did  not  fail  to  notice  the  revelation  made  of 
Jackson's  master-passion  by  nature,  in  the  object  he  had  chosen 
to  express  the  value  of  his  heavenly  inheritance.  It  was  fame  ! 
Not  wealth,  nor  domestic  joys,  nor  literature  —  but  well-earned 
fame.  Let  the  young  aspirant  consider  also,  how  even  this  pas 
sion,  which  the  world  calls  the  most  honorable  of  all,  was  chas 
tened  and  crucified  in  him  by  a  nobler  longing. 

It  was  manifestly  about  the  same  time,  that  the  following  letter 
was  written  to  Mrs.  Jackson.  Mentioning  several  presents,  he 
says: 

"OCT.  27. 

"  Our  God  makes  me  so  many  friends !  I  mention  these 
things  in  order  that  you  may  see  how  much  kindness  has  been 
shown  me ;  and  to  express  things  for  which  I  should  be  more 
grateful,  and  to  give  you  renewed  cause  for  gratitude."  .... 

"  Don't  trouble  yourself  about  representations  that  are  made 
of  me.  These  things  are  earthly  and  transitory.  There  are 
real  and  glorious  blessings,  I  trust,  in  reserve  for  us,  beyond  this 


RAILROAD   DESTROYED.  589 

life.  It  is  best  for  us  to  keep  our  eyes  fixed  upon  the  throne  of 
God,  and  the  realities  of  a  more  glorious  existence  beyond  the 
verge  of  time.  It  is  gratifying  to  be  beloved,  and  to  have  our 
conduct  approved  by  our  fellow  men ;  bnt  this  is  not  worthy  to 
be  compared  with  the  glory  that  is  in  reservation  for  us,  in  the 
presence  of  tho  glorified  Redeemer.  Let  us  endeavor  'to  adorn 
the  doctrine  of  Christ  our  Saviour,  in  all  things ;  knowing  that 
there  awaits  us  <  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal  weight  of 
glory.'  I  would  not  relinquish  the  slightest  diminution  of  that 
glory,  for  all  this  world,  and  all  that  it  can  give.  My  prayer  is, 
that  such  may  ever  be  the  feeling  of  my  heart.  It  appears  to  me 
that  it  would  be  better  for  you  not  to  have  any  thing  written 
about  me.  Let  us  follow  the  teaching  of  inspiration:  'Let 
another  praise  thee,  and  not  thyself.'  I  appreciate  the  loving 
interest  that  prompted  the  desire." 

On  the  1 8th  of  October,  General  Jackson  removed  his  head 
quarters  from  Bunker  Hill  to  Martinsburg,  to  superintend  the 
destruction  of  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Railroad,  which  was  com 
mitted  to  his  corps.  The  importance  of  this  great  thoroughfare 
between  Washington  and  the  West  has  been  already  described ; 
and  it  was  determined  that  the  enemy  should  be  as  thoroughly 
deprived  of  its  use  as  possible.  General  Jackson  now  applied  a 
system  of  his  own  to  dismantle  it.  Besides  burning  all  bridges, 
and  breaking  up  all  culverts,  he  ripped  the  iron  nails  from  the 
cross-ties,  using  the  former  as  levers,  collected  the  latter  into 
heaps  two  or  three  feet  high,  and  laying  the  bars  of  iron  across 
the  top,  set  fire  to  the  whole.  The  heat  of  such  log-heaps  in 
full  blaze  rendered  the  iron  red-hot,  and  the  weight  of  the  pro 
jecting  ends  warped  and  bent  it  into  every  imaginable  shape. 
But  as  though  this  were  not  enough,  the  soldiers,  seizing  the 
great  bars  while  heated  in  the  middle,  bent  them  around  trees, 


590  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

and  amused  their  ingenuity  in  reducing  them  to  every  fantastic 
use.  From  the  hamlet  of  Hedgesville,  west  of  Martinsburg,  to  a 
point  near  Harper's  Ferry,  the  track  was  thus  utterly  destroyed, 
for  a  distance  of  thirty  miles;  and  after  the  work  was  done, 
Jackson  rode  deliberately  over  the  whole,  to  assure  himself  of 
its  completeness. 

At  the  end  of  the  month,  the  corps,  moved  toward  the  Shenan- 
doah  river  and  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  encamped  upon  the  road 
from  Chaiiestown  to  Berryville.  The  purpose  of  this  change  was 
to  watch  M'Clellan,  who  had  now  begun  to  cross  the  Potomac 
below  Harper's  Ferry.  The  Government  at  Washington  had 
indicated  their  discontent  with  the  sluggish  :  movements  of  this 
General  in  many  ways,  and  had  urged  him  to  advance  into  Vir 
ginia,  and  assail  the  Confederates  again,  before  they  could 
recruit  their  strength.  But  he  had  contented  himself  with  a  few 
reconnaissances  of  cavalry,  and  had  refused  to  move  until  his 
vast  army  received  large  accessions,  and  a  new  outfit  of  clothing 
and  equipments.  At  length  all  his  requisitions  were  met:  and 
with  a  thoroughly  furnished  army  of  one  hundred  and  forty 
thousand  men,  he  began  to  cross  the  Potomac  from  Berlin  into 
the  county  of  Loudoun,  on  the  23rd  of  October.  But  so  vast 
was  the  apparatus  of  this  huge  host,  six  days  were  consumed  in 
transferring  it  to  the  south  bank  of  the  river.  The  plan  which 
its  leader  seemed  to  propose  to  himself  was  to  occupy  the  passes 
of  the  Blue  Ridge  between  himself,  and  General  Lee,  as  he  pro 
ceeded  Southward,  so  as  to  protect  himself  from  an  attack  in 
flank;  and  by  advancing  toward  the  interior  of  the  State,  to 
compel  him  to  leave  Maryland  free  from  invasion,  in  order  to 
place  himself  between  the  Federalists  and  Richmond.-  In  its 
first  results,  this  strategy  was  successful ;  the  Confederate  army 
was  promptly  recalled  from  the  neighborhood  of  the  Potomac. 
As  soon  as  the  direction  of  M'Clellan's  advance  was  disclosed,  a 


CAMPAIGN  AGAIN  ON  RAPPAHANNOCK.         591 

part  of  General  Longstreet's  corps  was  thrown  before  him  at 
Upperville,  and  the  remainder  speedily  followed  it,  and  took 
position  in  M'Clellan's  front,  on  the  east  of  Blue  Ridge ;  while 
the  corps  of  General  Jackson  was  left  to  guard  the  Valley. 
M'Clellan,  after  his  usual  cautious  fashion,  advanced  his  outposts 
as  far  south  as  Warrenton,  in  Fauquier  County,  while  his  masses 
occupied,  the  line  of  the  Manassa's  Gap  road,  and  the  country 
thereabouts.  On  the  5th  of  November  one  of  his  detachments, 
proceeding  westward  through  Snicker's  Gap,  attempted  to  pass 
the  Shenandoah  at  Castleman's  Ferry,  in  the  face  of  two  brigades 
of  A.  P.  Hill's  division.  They  were  chastised  by  him  with  a 
severe  repulse,  and  the  loss  of  two  hundred  men ;  and  made  no 
further  attempts  to  penetrate  the  Valley. 

General  Lee,  accompanying  the  corps  of  Longstreet  and 
Stuart's  cavalry,  now  took  post  at  Culpepper  Court  House,  and 
the  two  adversaries  again  confronted  each  other,  with  the  Rap- 
pahannock,  between  them.  M'Clellan  was  apparently  pursuing 
the  same  line  of  operations  which  the  unlucky  Pope  had  found 
so  difficult.  If  his  purpose  was  to  follow  the  Orange  Railroad 
to  Gordonsville,  and  thence  turn  eastward  to  Richmond,  it  was 
beset  by  the  grave  inconveniences,  that  in  obliquely  approaching 
the  Rapid  Ann  by  this  line,  he  exposed  his  communications  to  a 
fatal  side-thrust ;  and  that,  at  Gordonsville,  he  must  pass  around 
an  acute  angle,  which  must  present  his  flank  most  awkwardly  to 
his  adversary.  If,  forsaking  the  Orange  Railroad, 'he  marched 
directly  southeast,  the  vast  dimensions  of  his  army,  and  the 
enormous  consumption  of  supplies  by  it,  would  render  it  a  diffi 
cult  problem  how  it  was  to  be  provisioned  without  other 
transportation  than  wagon  trains  over  the  country  roads  of 
Virginia.  If  M'Clellan  had  expedients  for  overcoming  these 
difficulties,  they  remained  undisclosed;  for  about  this  time 
the  political  jealousies  between  him  and  his  Government 


592  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

became  so  irrepressible,  that  ho  was  suddenly  relieved  of  his 
command,  and  ordered  to  retire  into  private  life.  His  suc 
cessor  was  Major-General  Burnside,  who  seems  to  have  been 
commended  to  the  authorities  chiefly  by  the  fact,  that  the  im 
patient  public  could  say  nothing  against  him,  because  nothing 
was  known  of  him. 

While  the  Federalists  were  advancing  into  Fauquier,  and 
General  Lee  was  confronting  them  in  Culpepper,  it  was  a  subject 
of  anxious  discussion  between  him  and  General  Jackson,  what 
disposition  should  be  now  made  of  his  corps.  The  latter  desired 
to  remain  with  it  in  the  Valley,  or  at  least,  to  continue  to  threaten 
the  enemy's  right  wing  by  the  passes  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  Rea 
soning  from  the  axiom,  that  one  ought  never  to  do  the  thing 
which  his  adversary  desires  him  to  do,  he  concluded  that  the 
manifest  wish  of  M'Clellan  to  draw  the  Confederates  away  from 
the  Valley,  by  his  threatened  advance  into  Eastern  Virginia, 
should  not  be  gratified.  He  believed  that  if  one  wing  of  the 
army  held  fast  to  that  country  and  the  Blue  Ridge,  his  advance 
would  be  effectually  checked ;  or  if  it  were  not,  his  communica 
tions  would  speedily  be  exposed  to  a  side  blow  as  disastrous  as 
that  which  he  had  dealt  to  Pope  at  Manassa's.  Moreover,  his 
love  for  the  country,  and  his  knowledge  of  the  inestimable  value 
of  its  teeming  resources,  made  him  reluctant  to  see  it  vacated  to 
the  enemy.  True,  the  disposition  of  forces  which  he  advocated 
seemed  to  give  the  enemy  the  power  to  place  himself  between  the 
two  parts  of  the  Confederate  army.  But  Jackson's  knowledge 
of  the  sluggish  movements  of  that  unwieldy  force,  and  of  its  lack 
of  enterprise,  with  his  own  vigilance  and  celerity,  removed  all 
fear  of  being  beaten  in  detail.  The  Commander-in- Chief  acqui 
esced,  for  a  time,  in  his  suggestions.  An  expedition  to  assail  the 
Federal  right  and  rear  was  proposed ;  but  the  lack  of  shoes  and 
clothing  in  Jackson's  corps  prevented  its  execution.  And  new 


BURNSIDE  COMMANDS.  —  HIS  PLANS.          593 

movements  of  Burnside,  after  a  time,  required  the  relinquishment 
of  all  the  plans  which  have  been  detailed. 

This  General,  after  gathering  the  reins  of  authority  into  his 
hands,  determined  to  direct  his  command  to  a  new  base,  whence 
to  attack  the  Confederate  capital.  The  route  by  Fredericksburg. 
whence  there  ran  a  railroad  of  sixty  miles'  length,  direct  to 
Richmond,  possessed  at  least  the  advantage  that  it  had  not  yet 
been  signalized  by  any  Federal  disaster.  Burnside  determined 
to  adopt  this  line,  making  his  base  of  supplies  the  landing  of  Acquia 
Creek,  upon  the  Potomac,  where  the  Fredericksburg  Railroad 
terminated,  thirteen  miles  north  of  that  town.  It  was  an  impor 
tant  recommendation  of  this  route  to  his  jealous  masters  in  Wash 
ington,  that  by  pursuing  it,  he  kept  that  city  covered  during  his 
advance  upon  the  rival  metropolis,  and  composed  the  fears  in 
the  breast  of  the  Government  which  had  so  retarded  the  opera 
tions  of  M'Clellan  on  the  peninsula.  In  truth,  the  reasonings 
of  the  latter  General  in  favor  of  the  James  river  as  the  true  line 
by  which  to  take  Richmond  were  just.  But  next  to  that  line, 
the  one  selected  by  Burnside  obviously  offered  the  fewest  diffi 
culties.  It  gave  him  an  unobstructed  water-carriage  for  his 
supplies,  more  than  one-third  of  the  way.  It  was  the  most  direct 
route  between  the  two  cities  j  and  therefore  he  uncovered  his 
own  line  of  operations  least,  as  he  advanced.  It  gave  him,  from 
the  Potomac  to  Richmond,  a  continuous  line  of  railroad  to  trans 
port  the  apparatus  of  his  army.  It  was  true,  that  this  route 
brought  him  upon  the  Rappahannock  where  its  current  was 
enlarged  by  the  accession  of  the  Rapid  Ann ;  but  Burnside  might 
have  argued  that  military  experience  has  proved  a  river  is  not 
usually  an  effectual  obstacle  to  an  attacking  army,  and  that  the 
vast  resources  of  his  Government  would  easily  enable  him  to 
overcome  it.  The  result,  moreover,  justified  his  action,,  so  far  as 
the  river  was  concerned;  for  he  did,  in, fact,  experience  little 
75 


594.  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENEBAL   JACKSON. 

difficulty  iii  the  actual  passage  of  the  stream.  'How  much  influ 
ence  he  may  have  allowed  to  the  threatening  attitude  of  General 
Jackson  upon  the  right  of  his  position  in  Fauquier,  cannot  be 
known;  but  his  proposed  change  of  base  was  manifestly  the 
most  ready  way  to  elude  that  danger.  About  the  middle  of 
November,  therefore;  he  began  to  transfer  his  army,  by  a  side 
march,  down  the  north  bank  of  the  Rappahannock,  to  the  heights 
opposite  Fredericksburg.  He  hoped  to  arrive  there  before  his 
designs  were  known  to  General  Lee,  to  occupy  the  town  and  the 
crossings  of  the  river  without  resistance,  and  to  commence  the 
race  for  Richmond  in  advance  of  the  Confederates. 

But  the  vigilance  of  his  adversary,  and"  the  customary  heavi 
ness  of  the  movement  of  his  plethoric  army,  disappointed  his 
hopes.  On  the  18th  of  November,  General  Stuart,  crossing  the 
Rappahannock  from  Culpepper,  made  a  thorough  reconnaissance 
as  far  as  Warrenton,  and  learned  with  certainty  that  the  whole 
Federal  army  was  moving  upon  Fredericksburg.  When  the 
Federal  General  Sumner  reached  Falmouth,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  Rappahannock,  he  found  a  force  of  Confederates  guarding 
the  passage  across  it ;  and  before  he  could  overpower  them,  the 
divisions  of  M'Laws  and  Ransom  appeared.  The  whole  remain 
der  of  Longstrect's  corps  followed  from  Culpepper  soon  after, 
and  took  up  a  strong  position  on  the  southern  bank. 

As  soon  as  this  movement  of  Burnside  was  unmasked,  Gen 
eral  Lee  suggested  to  General  Jackson  the  propriety  of  his 
leaving  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  to  support  Longstreet.  He  there 
fore  complied  at  once,  and  beginning  his  march  from  Winchester, 
November  22nd,  in  eight  days  transferred  his  corps  with  an  inter 
val  of  two  days'  rest,  to  the  vicinity  of  Fredericksburg.  His 
journey  was  through  the  great  Valley  to  New  Market,  and  thence 
by  the  Columbia  Bridge,  Fisher's  Gap  and  Madison  Court  House, 
to  Guinea's  Station  dipon  the  railroad,  a  few  miles  south  of 


•  FREDERICKSBURG  DESERTED.  595 

Longstreet's  position;  where  the  troops  arrived  the  1st  of 
December.  But  on  the  21st  of  November,  Sumner  had  sum 
moned  the  town  to  surrender,  under  a  threat  of  cannonading  it 
the  next  day.  The  weather  was  rainy  and  tempestuous,  and 
only  a  few  hours  of  darkness  were  allowed  the  inhabitants  to 
remove  from  their  homes.  General  Lee  assured  the  city  author 
ities  that  he  would  pledge  himself  not  to  use  the  place  for  mili 
tary  purposes  j  but  that  he  could  not  permit  the  enemy  to  occupy 
it.  Although  no  garrison  was  within  its  precincts  at  that  time, 
to  justify  the  outrage  of  a  bombardment,  yet  the  Federal  Com 
mander  refused  to  retract  his  threat,  and  only  extended  to  the 
people  the  poor  privilege  of  a  prolongation  of  the  time  for 
removal  to  forty-eight  hours.  Nearly  the  whole  population  of 
the  city  now  deserted  their  homes,  at  the  beginning  of  winter, 
and  with  an  unexampled  patriotism,  accepted  all  the  horrors  of 
exile,  rather  than  submit  to  the  yoke  of  the  enemies  of  their 
country.  The  bombardment  was,  however,  deferred. 

When  General  Jackson  arrived  near  Fredericksburg,  several 
Federal  gunboats  had  appeared  at  the  village  of  Port  Royal, 
upon  the  Rappahannock,  twenty  miles  below.  As  the  positions 
upon  the  southern  bank  were  there  less  strong,  it  was  surmised 
that  the  enemy  might  design  a  landing  or  a  crossing.  General 
Jackson  was  therefore  directed  to  send  the  division  of  D.  H.  Hill 
to  guard  that  place.  When  he  gave  him  this  order  he  said  to 
him :  "  I  am  opposed  to  fighting  here.  We  will  whip  the  enemy 
but  gain  no  fruits  of  victory.  I  have  advised  the  line  of  the 
North  Anna,  but  have  been  overruled."  These  words  were  pro 
phetic.  The  objection  which  General  Jackson  stated  had  also 
been  maturely  weighed  by  the  C  ommander-in- Chief ;  but  it  was 
counterpoised  by  other  considerations,  which  he  did  not  feel  at 
liberty  to  disregard.  To  adopt  the  North  Anna  as  his  line  "of 
defence,  would  have  been  to  surrender  to  the  occupation  of  the 


596  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSOX. 

enemy,  a  breadth  of  thirty-five  miles  of  territory.  The  Confed 
erate  Government  was  reluctant  to  submit  to  the  political  effect 
of  such  a  retreat ;  and  the  waning  resources  of  the  Common 
wealth  warned  them  to  relinquish  no  space  to  the  enemy,  which 
u light  yield  important  supplies  for  the  sustenance  of  the  army. 

General  D.  H.  Hill  proceeded  to  Port  Royal  on  the  3rd  of 
December,  constructed  a  slight  entrenchment  above  that  village 
during  the  night,  and  the  next  day,  chose  positions  for  his  artil 
lery.  Carter's  battery  of  Parrot  guns  was  placed  on  a  com 
manding  hill  west  of  the  place,  and  Hardaway's,  with  one  English 
V\rhitworth  gun  of  great  power  and  range,  was  posted  three 
miles  below.  On  the  5th  these  two  officers  opened  upon  the 
Federal  gunboats  with  such  effect  as  to  compel  them  promptly 
to  change  their  position.  By  retiring  behind  the  village  they 
shielded  themselves  from  the  fire  of  Carter,  but  were  still 
exposed  to  that  of  Hardaway.  They  now  proceeded  to  vent 
their  spleen  in  a  dastardly  outrage,  which,  were  it  not  overshad 
owed  by  so  many  others  more  enormous,  would  fix  upon  them 
the  detestation  of  all  men.  Although  the  peaceful  village  was 
not  occupied  as  a  position  by  any  Confederate  battery  or  other 
force ;  the  ships  of  war  now  opened  a  furious  bombardment  upon 
it,  without  a  moment's  notice.  The  little  town  was  battered  half 
into  ruins ;  but  although  all  the  females,  aged,  sick,  and  children, 
were  caught  within  it,  in  unsuspecting  security,  the  superintend 
ing  mercy  of  Providence  delivered  them  all  from  death.  The 
only  casualties  were  the  killing  of  a  dog,  and  the  wounding  of  a 
poor  African  slave.  But  while  this  dastardly  attack  was  proceed 
ing,  Hardaway  continued  pertinaciously  to  pound  them  with  his 
Whitworth  shot,  until  they  gave  up  the  contest,  and  retired  with 
loss  down  the  river,  running  the  gantlet  of  the  guns  of  Major 
Pclham's  horse  artillery,  which  lined  the  bank.  A  few  days  after, 
they  returned  toward  Port  Royal  with  five  additional  ships ;  but 


BURXSIDE'S  DELAYS.  597 

were  again  driven  away  by  the  artillery  of  Hill,  reinforced  by 
Colonel  Brown  from  the  reserves. 

A  few  miles  above  Port  Royal  an  insignificant  stream,  at  a 
place  known  as  the  Hop  Yard,  enters  the  Rappahannock.  The 
attention  of  General  D.  H.  Hill  was  somehow  called  to  it,  as 
offering  an  eligible  place  for  the  passage  of  the  enemy ;  and  he 
resolved  to  examine  it  thoroughly.  He  found  that  the  configura 
tion  of  the  country  did,  indeed,  give  special  advantages  to  the 
force  attempting  to  pass  from  the  north  side,  and  moreover;  that 
there  were  marks  not  to  be  mistaken,  of  its  occupation  for  that 
purpose  by  the  enemy.  When  these  facts  were  reported  to 
General  Jackson,  he  immediately  appreciated  their  importance, 
and  sent  the  division  of  Early  to  the  place,  which  began  dili 
gently  to  fortify  the  southern  bank.  The  reports  of  the  Federal 
Generals  subsequently  disclosed  the  importance  of  these  pre 
cautions.  Halleck  had  himself  selected  the  Hop  Yard  as  the 
place  for  crossing,  and  Burnside  had  planned  a  surprise  there, 
which  was  relinquished  when  they  perceived  that  the  ground  was 
pre-occupied. 

Meantime  the  Federal  Government  was  urging  that  unhappy 
commander  to  force  the  line  of  the  Rappahannock  before  further 
obstacles  were  accumulated  in  his  front;  and  he  was  excusing 
himself  by  complaining  that  his  pontoon  trains  had  not  been 
forwarded  to  him  from  the  upper  Potomac.  Twenty  days  were 
spent  in  these  mutual  criminations.  Of  the  merits  of  the  quarrel, 
it  is  enough  to  say,  that  the  delay  of  the  bridge  trains  probably 
evinced  the  incompetency  both  of  himself  and  Halleck.  But  the 
interval  was  diligently  improved  by  him  in  perfecting  his  com 
munications  at  Acquia  Creek,  fortifying  the  heights  north  of  the 
Rappahannock,  and  arming  them  with  the  most  potent  equipment 
of  heavy  guns  ever  marshalled  in  the  field  by  any  general.  The 
lavish  preparations  of  his  government  supplied  him  with  an 


598  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

apparatus,  compared  with  which  the  gigantic  artillery  of  Na 
poleon  was  puny.  Besides  innumerable  field  batteries  of  lighter 
guns,  which  were  intended  to  march  and  fight  with  his  divisions  ' 
of  infantry,  one  hundred  and  eighty  heavy  cannon,  some  of  them 
throwing  shot  of  a  hundred  pounds'  weight,  frowned  upon  the 
town  and  its  approaches,  from  the  opposing  hills.  The  "  grand 
army  "  was  now  arranged  into  three  great  corps,  under  Sumner, 
Hooker,  and  Franklin,  which  made  an  aggregate  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty-five  thousand  men,  besides  a  corps  of  twenty-five 
thousand  more,  under  the  German  Sigel,  which  performed  the 
duties  of  a  rear-guard. 

Upon  the  10th  of  December,  Burnside  at  length  received  his 
pontoon  trains  ;  and  he  determined  at  once  to  prepare  for  forcing 
his  way  in  the  front  of  the  Confederate  army,  and  beginning 
his  onward  march  to  Richmond.  He  was  confronted,  upon  the 
heights  before  Fredericksburg,  by  the  corps  of  Longstreet.  At 
Port  Royal  was  the  division  of  D.  H.  Hill;  between  him  and 
Longstreet,  was  the  division  of  Early ;  and  the  remainder  of 
Jackson's  corps  was  held  in  reserve  about  Guinea's  Station, 
ready  to  support  either  point.  The  cavalry  division  of  Stuart 
guarded  the  course  of  the  Rappahannock  for  many  miles  above 
and  below ;  and  prosecuted,  with  their  usual  audacity,  their  raids 
within  the  enemy's  lines.  The  defensive  force  may  be  stated 
with  substantial,  although  not  with  exact  correctness,  at  sixty- 
five  thousand  men  of  all  arms.  Of  these,  General  Jackson's 
corps  included  about  twenty-five  thousand  effective  men. 

The  impressive  drama  which  was  now  about  to  occur  upon  the 
plains  of  Fredericksburg,  presents  to  the  student  of  history  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  examples  of  defensive  warfare.  To  com 
prehend  its  true  merits,  he  must  acquire  a  distinct  conception  of 
the  topography  of  the  arena,  upon  which  it  was  enacted.  The 
general  course  of  the  Rappahannock,  though  sinuous,  may  be 


BATTLE    OF    FREDERICKSBURG. 


590 


Scale,  1  Inch  to  a  Mile. 

BATTLE    OF    PRE  D  E  RICK  S  BUEG 


GOO  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

said  to  be,  here,  from  west  to  east;  and  it  divides  the  county 
of  Stafford  on  the  north,  from  that  of  Spottsylvania  on  the 
south.  The  town  of  Fredericksburg  is  in  the  latter ;.  and  the 
village  of  Falmouth,  a  mile  above,  is  in  the  former.  The  tides 
flow  to  the  foot  of  the  town ;  so  that  below,  the  stream  is  deep, 
though  narrow ;  while  immediately  above,  it  is  shallow  and  ford- 
able  during  dry  seasons.  The  country  along  its  banks  here  has, 
in  a  marked  degree,  those  features  which  characterize  the  tidal 
streams  of  Eastern  Virginia.  There  are  three  stages,  or  grades, 
proceeding  from  the  water,  of  which  the  second  is  more  elevated 
than  the  first,  and  the  third  than  the  second.  The  first  of  these 
levels,  next  the  water's  edge,  is  the  modern  alluvium,  or  low 
ground  proper,  rarely  marshy,  yet  subject  to  the  inundations  of 
the  great  freshets,  with  a  horizontal  surface,  and  a  deep,  black 
soil.  It  is  of  very  variable  width,  spreading  in  some  places  to 
the  extent  of  a  beautiful  meadow,  and  in  others,  contracted  to  a 
narrow  strip  of  land.  The  traveller  moving  directly  from  the 
river,  after  passing  over  this  low  belt,  ascends  a  short,  steep  hill, 
thirty  or  forty  feet  high,  and  then  finds  himself  upon  a  table 
land  of  greater  extent,  which  is  of  an  older  alluvial  deposit,  but 
nearly  horizontal  likewise.  It  is  this  level,  extending  to  the 
width  of  miles,  in  many  places,  which  constitutes  the  great  grain 
region  of  the  Rappahannock.  Its  dry,  kindly  and  fertile  soil  has 
long  ago  tempted  the  inhabitants  to  strip  it  of  its  forest ;  and  the 
whole  surface  was  divided  into  extensive  fields,  enclosed  by 
wooden  fences  or  hedge-rows,  and  dotted  over  with  country 
mansions  and  the  humbler  homes  of  the  servants.  The  streams 
making  their  way  across  the  table  land  from  the  interior  to  the 
Rappahannock,  as  may  easily  be  surmised,  have  excavated  for 
themselves  deep  channels  through  its  alluvial  structure;  along 
which  they  flow  sluggishly  upon  the  level  of  the  first  bottoms 
below.  Finally,  the  river,  like  all  other  great  streams,  is  inclined 


TOPOGRAPHY.  GO.l 

to  throw  the  main  bulk  of  its  flats  wholly  on  the  one  side 
or  the  other,  by  running  at,  or  near,  the  base  of  the  highlands ; 
and  at  Fredericksburg,  nearly  all  the  level  lands  are  on  the  south 
side.  It  is  on  this  second  stage  or  table  land,  that  the  town  of 
Fredericksburg  is  seated ;  and  it  stretches  along  the  river  for 
more  than  a  mile,  with  a  breadth  of  a  half  mile  backward. 

If  the  traveller  would  proceed  farther  from  this  table  land 
toward  the  interior,  he  next  ascends  the  highlands  proper,  which 
rise  in  swelling  hills  of  the  altitude  of  fifty  or  a  hundred  feet, 
nowhere  rocky  or  craggy,  but  sometimes  bold ;  and  pierced  here 
and  there  by  the  vales  through  which  the  inland  rivulets  descend 
to  the  lower  stages.  From  the  top  of  this  range  of  hills,  the 
interior  stretches  away  into  a  region  of  gentle  hills  and  dales,  of 
which  the  average  altitude  is  far  above  the  table  lands.  And  as 
the  soil  of  the  highlands  is  thin  and  gravelly,  the  larger  part  of 
the  bordering  front  of  hills  was  left  to  the  original  forest, 
whence  the  fuel  and  timber  for  the  vast  farms  of  the  table  land 
were  taken.  It  will  now  be  easily  understood  how  the  town  of 
Fredericksburg,  with  the  narrow  plain  in  which  it  is  seated,  is 
commanded  both  from  the  hills  of  Stafford,  and  from  those  of 
Spottsylvania,  which  are  here  separated  by  the  distance  of  a 
mile.  These  heights  are  lofty,  and  perhaps  of  equal  altitude 
near  the  town.  Where  the  main  country  road  going  south, 
issues  from  the  streets,  it  is  overlooked  near  at  hand  by  a  noble 
hill,  known,  from  the  country  seat  upon  its  brow,  as  Marye's 
Hill.  The  highway,  striking  the  base  of  this  height,  turns  aside 
to  the  eastward,  in  order  to  avoid  its  acclivity,  and  thus  skirts 
its  base  for  a  few  hundred  yards,  until  reaching  the  course  of  a 
sparkling  rivulet  called  the  Hazel,  it  again  resumes  its  southern 
direction,  and  finds  its  way  up  the  vale  of  that  stream  into  the 
interior,  by  a  gradual  ascent.  It  will  be  perceived  from  this 
that  the  road  has  a  tract  of  a  few  hundred  yards,  which  runs 

76 


602  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

parallel  with  the  edge  of  the  town.  This  is  bordered  on  the 
left,  or  town- ward  side,  by  a  massive  stone  fence,  embanked  with 
earth;  and  between  it  and  the  edge  of  the  suburb,  is  a  narrow 
and  level  field.  After  passing  the  Hazel,  the  highlands  take  a 
wide  sweep  to  the  southeastward  (receding  from  the  Rappa- 
hannock,  until  the  ample  table  land  acquires  a  breadth  of  nearly 
three  miles) ;  and  continually  declines  in  elevation  and  boldness, 
as  it  is  followed  in  that  direction.  At  the  broadest  place,  the 
plain  is  watered  by  another  rivulet,  called  Deep  Run,  whose 
springs,  breaking  from  the  base  of  the  heights,  collect  into  a 
stream,  and  make  their  way  along  a  deep  channel,  to  the  Rappa- 
hannock,  a  half  mile  below  the  mouth  of  the  Hazel,  and  a  mile 
below  the  town.  The  rim  of  highland,  after  encircling  the 
sources  of  Deep  Run,  again  approaches  the  river  somewhat, 
continually  diminishing  its  altitude,  until,  at  the  distance  of  four 
and  a  half  miles  east  of  Fredericksburg,  the  height  gently  de 
clines  into  a  series  of  soft  waves  of  land,  which  terminate  at  the 
valley  of  the  Massaponax.  This  is  a  tributary  of  the  Rappahan- 
nock,  which  taking  its  rise  in  the  interior  of  Spottsylvania,  flows 
northward  with  a  current  of  greater  pretensions  than  the  Hazel 
and  Deep  Run,  and  enters  the  river  five  miles  below  Fredericks- 
burg.  It  is  itself  bordered,  for  several  miles  upward,  by  an 
expansive  valley  of  broad  meadows  and  gentle  slopes,  which  are, 
in  fact,  an  extension  of  the  greater  table  land  of  the  Rappahan- 
nock.  Immediately  east  of  the  Massaponax,  the  highlands  ap 
proach  the  very  margin  of  the  river  on  both  sides,  and  hug  it 
closely  for  several  miles. 

A  country  road,  known  as  the  Port-Royal  or  River  Road, 
issues  from  the  town  at  its  eastern  corner,  and  proceeds  down 
the  middle  of  the  great  table  land,  at  the  distance  of  a  mile  from 
the  river,  and  a  mile  and  a  half  from  the  heights,  until  it  crosses 
the  Massaponax,  and  penetrates  the  eastern  highlands.  This 


ROADS.  603 

road  runs,  the  larger  part  of  its  course,  between  two  fences,  each 
of  which  is  set  upon  an  earthen  bank  of  a  yard's  height,  thickly 
grown,  with  cedars  and  other  hedge-row  trees.  It  therefore 
offered  to  the  occupants  the  advantages  of  a  double  line  of  low, 
but  very  substantial  field-works ;  for  the  embankments,  consoli 
dated  by  time,  and  interlaced  with  the  roots  of  trees,  offered  a 
perfect  defence  against  rifle  balls,  and  no  mean  protection  against 
heavier  projectiles.  This  whole  lane  of  four  and  a  -  half  miles' 
length,  was  commanded  by  a  multitude  of  Federal  guns  of  long 
range,  upon  the  Stafford  heights.  The  railroad  to  Richmond, 
also  emerging  from  the  eastern  end  of  the  town,  passed  through 
the  plain  upon  an  embankment  a  couple  of  feet  high,  parallel  to 
the  river  road,  and  between  it  and  the  hills,  until  approaching 
the  Massaponax,  it  turned  southward  with  a  wide  and  sweeping 
curve,  seeking  to  make  its  way,  by  the  valley  of  that  stream,  to 
the  interior.  It  is  just  where  the  heights  finally  sink  into  the 
wide  valley  of  that  creek,  that  the  railroad  crosses  an  old  country 
thoroughfare,  known  as  the  mine  road ;  and  here  was  seated  a 
little  way-side  station,  called  Hamilton's  Crossing.  The  plain 
of  Fredericksburg,  which  was  destined  to  be  the  great  battle 
field,  may  be  roughly  compared  to  the  half  of  a  vast  ellipsis, 
divided  by  its  longer  axis,  with  the  west  end  containing  the 
town,  contracted  to  a  narrow  apex,  and  the  eastern  expanded 
into  an  ample  section  of  a  circle. 

The  reader  is  requested  to  master  this  somewhat  particular 
description,  because  it  is  necessary  to  the  correct  understanding 
of  transactions  much  misunderstood.  The  zeal  of  the  Federals, 
of  all  mortals  most  passionately  thirsting  for  that  reputation  for 
military  prowess  to  which  they  are  so  little  entitled,  has  led  them 
with  one  voice  to  excuse  their  disaster,  after  it  occurred,  by 
attributing  it  to  the  excellence  of  the  Confederate  position,  and 
the  natural  difficulties  of  the  crossing.  Justice  both  to  the  much- 


604  LIFE    OF    LIEUT.-GEXERAL    JACKSOX. 

abused  Burnside,  and  to  the  Confederate  army,  requires  that  the 
topography  be  correctly  conceived.     It  will  then  be  seen,  that 
while  the  position  of  General  Lee  was  good  as  a  whole,  and  on 
his  left  strong,  it  gave  him  no  advantage  whatever  upon  his  right 
(save  a  slight  superiority  of  elevation  for  his  batteries),  which 
was  not  matched  by  at  least  equal  advantages  in  the  position  of 
the  enemy.     The  ground  which  Jackson  so  successfully  held 
against  the  double  numbers  of  Franklin  and  Hooker  in  the  com 
ing  battle,  was  no  stronger  than  that  which  he  wrested  from 
Shields  at  Port  Republic,  and  not  near  so  strong  as  that  which 
he  and  Longstreet  stormed  at  the  Chickahominy,  with  inferior 
forces.     When  the  battle  of  Fredericksburg  was  fought,  General 
Jackson  had  not  a  yard  of  entrenchment  in  his  front ;  indeed  his 
corps  only  came  upon  their  ground  during  the  night,  and  the 
early  morning  preceding  the  struggle.    The  elaborate  lines  which 
the  military  tourist  saw  afterward,  were  all  the  work  of  subse 
quent  weeks,  provided  by  General  Lee  against  the  possibility  of 
future  attacks.     On  the  left,  the  battle-line  of  Longstreet  was 
strengthened,  at  several  places,  by  light  earthworks,  or  barri 
cades  of  timber,  and  abattls;   while  the  heavy  field-guns  upon 
Marye's  Heights,  and  thence  toward  the  west  were  protected  by 
slight  lunettes  or  epaulements.     It  should  also  be  remembered, 
that  the  position  of  General  Lee  gave  no  effectual  advantage 
toward  the  resistance  of  the  passage  of  the  river  by  Burnside, 
and  his  quiet  establishment  on  the  southern  bank,  in  a  situation 
perfectly  teno.ble  and  secure.     The  configuration  of  the  Stafford 
Heights  and  of  the  river  flats  and  bluffs,  the  superiority  of  the 
Federal  numbers,  and  the  power  of  their  countless  batteries, 
made  him  master  of  those  points.     It  was  therefore  with  perfect 
truth  that  he  claimed,  in  his  despatches  of  the  12th  of  December, 
that  the  difficulties  of  the  Rappahannock  were  surmounted,  and 
that  nothing  remained  between  him  and  the  march  to  Richmond 


BARKSD  ALE'S  COMBAT  IN  FKEDEPJCKSBURG.       605 

except  the  equal  grapple  with  the  army  of  Lee  upon  a  fair  and 
open  battle-field.  It  was  only  after  that  grapple  had  occurred, 
and  the  heroism  of  the  Confederate  soldiery,  with  the  masterly . 
skill  of  their  leaders,  had  made  it  a  frightful  disaster,  that  these 
facts  were  diligently  obscured.  The  river  bank  in  the  possession 
of  the  Federalists  did  not,  indeed,  present  that  concave  curve 
which  the  military  authorities  recommend  as  favorable  to  the 
success  of  the  assailants  seeking  to  pass  a  stream  in  the  face  of 
an  enemy.  But  it  showed,  in  every  other  respect,  all  the  requi 
sites  which  they  ask  for  a  successful  crossing ;  and  the  peculiar 
form  of  the  opposite  flats  made  the  absence  of  this  curvature 
wholly  unimportant  to  Burnside.  These  truths  will  manifest 
themselves  without  discussion,  as  the  narrative  proceeds. 

Before  the  break  of  day,  on  the  llth  of  December,  the  signal 
guns  of  the  Confederates  gave  note  that  Burnside  was  moving, 
and  the  whole  army  stood  to  its  weapons.  The  guardianship  of 
the  river  bank  had  been  committed  to  Barksdale's  Mississippi 
brigade,  from  M'Laws's  division.  One  regiment  was  at  the 
mouth  of  Deep  Run,  and  the  remainder,  assisted  by  the  Sth 
Florida,  was  in  the  town ;  two  of  the  regiments  being  posted  in 
the  cellars  of  houses  overlooking  the  water,  and  in  trenches  and 
other  hiding-places,  to  resist  the  construction  of  bridges.  At 
Deep  Run  there  was  no  protection  from  the  overpowering  fire 
of  the  numerous  batteries  on.  the  Stafford  Heights,  and  of  the 
large  bodies  of  infantry  which  lined  the  opposing  bank.  After 
a  struggle,  protracted,  beyond  all  expectation,  to  the  middle  of 
the  day,  this  detachment  was  compelled  to  retire ;  and  about  one 
o'clock,  P.  M.,  the  Federalists  completed  a  pontoon  bridge,  and 
immediately  began  the  passage  of  a  heavy  column  of  infantry 
and  artillery.  Upon  the  low  and  narrow  bench  of  the  first  bot 
tom,  and  beneath  the  steep  bluff  which  separates  it  from  the 
second  level,  they  found  a  secure  place  to  land  and  extend  their 


606  LIFE   OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

lines.     Unless  the  Confederates  could  advance  across  the  wide 
plain,  to  the  very  brink  of  that  bluff,  which  was  rendered  impos 
sible  by  the  frowning  batteries  of  the  opposing  heights,  the  enemy 
was  as  completely  shielded  from  their  fire  as  though  behind  the 
walls  of  a  great  castle.    Having  gained  this  lodgement,  the  Fede 
ralists  busied  themselves  in  laying  down  other  bridges,  and  pass 
ing  over  additional  trgops.     But  at  Fredericksburg  they  found 
sterner  work.     The  riflemen  of  Barksdale,  availing  themselves 
of  every  covert,  poured  so  deadly  a  fire  upon  the  working  par 
ties  and  their  guards,  that  they  were  again  and  again  driven 
back  with  great  slaughter,  in  their  attempts  to  gain  the  southern 
bank.     Nine  times  did  the  thronging  multitudes  encourage  each 
other  to  return  to  the  task.     The  floating  bridge  projected  itself 
nine  times  from  the  northern  shore,  covered  with  a  busy  swarm 
of  men  bearing  timbers;  when  the  Mississippians,  awaiting  their 
approach  within  their  deadly  aim,  opened  upon  them  stinging 
volleys  which  strewed  the  bridge  and  the  water  with  corpses! 
Until  one  o'clock,  p.  M.,  this  contest  continued,  and  no  progress 
was  made  toward  winning  the  southern  bank.     Burnside  then 
opened  upon  the  town  every  piece  of  artillery  which  could  be 
brought  to  bear  upon  it.    One  hundred  and  eighty  cannon  began 
to  belch  their  thunders  upon  the  devoted  city.     To  the  specta 
tors  upon  the  opposing  hill  it  seemed  wrapped  in  a  whirlwind  of 
smoke  and  flame ;  while  from  the,  bosom  of  the  gloom  the  crash 
of  falling  buildings,  the  explosion  of  shells,  the  hissing  of  the 
fires,  and  the  yells  of  the  combatants  arose  in  frightful  chorus, 
as  from  a  pandemonium.     Yet,  amidst  this  terrific  tempest,  the 
little  brigade  of  Barksdale  clung  to  the  bank  with  invincible 
tenacity;  and  it  was  only  after  three  hours  more  that  they  stub 
bornly  retired  a  couple  of  squares,  before  a  heavy  detachment 
of  infantry  landed  from  boats  under  the  protection  of  the  can 
nonade.     But  here  they  again  resumed  the  contest,  and,  fighting 


JACKSON   CONCENTRATES.  «  607 

from  street  to  street,  held  the  enemy  at  bay  until  far  into  the 
night.  When  they  were  told  that  they  had  now  accomplished 
all  that  was  desired,  and  commanded  to  withdraw,  they  said  that 
their  position  was  tenable  enough  still,  and  entreated  to  be 
allowed  to  remain  and  fight  the  enemy.  He  had  now  completed 
two  or  three  bridges,  by  which  heavy  columns  of  infantry  were 
pouring  into  the  town.  It  was  no  part  of  General  Lee's  plan  to 
contest  the  occupation  longer ;  for  his  position  was  chosen,  not 
to  prevent  the  crossing  of  the  river,  but  the  advance  from  it. 
He  therefore  withdrew  the  regiments  of  Barksdale,  during  the 
early  part  of  the  night,  to  his  lines  about  Marye's  Hill.  The 
desired  time  for  preparing  a  reception  for  the  enemy  had  been 
gained. 

During  all  the  next  day,  the  landscape  was  obscured  by  a 
dense  fog,  beneath  which  as  a  mask  the  Federalists  carried  on 
their  preparations  for  attack.  Whenever  this  curtain  was  lifted 
up  momentarily,  the  ravines  leading  from  the  Stafford  Heights  to 
the  river  bank,  were  seen  black  with  the  vast  masses  of  Federal 
infantry  pressing  toward  the  bridges,  and  their  lines  were  per 
ceived  upon  the  plain  advanced  as  far  as  the  river  road.  The 
Confederate  artillerists  now  and  then  seized  these  glimpses,  to 
direct  a  cannon  shot  where  the  throngs  were  thickest,  never  fail 
ing  to  elicit  an  angry  reply  from  the  opposing  heights.  But 
otherwise,  the  whole  day  passed  without  hostile  collision.  The 
two  divisions  of  General  Jackson  near  Guinea's  Station,  were 
brought  forward  to  strengthen  the  right ;  and  as  it  was  now 
beyond  a  doubt  that  Fredericksburg  was  to  be  the  place  of  the 
great  collision,  messengers  were  sent  to  Port  Royal  for  the  other 
divisions.  The  summons  reached  General  D.  H.  Hill  a  little 
before  sunset  on  the  12th.  His  troops  were  then  eighteen  miles 
from  the  post  they  were  designed  to  occupy  upon  the  battle-field ; 
but  such  was  the  promptitude  of  their  action,  by  dawn  on  the 


608  9   LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

next  morning  they  were  in  their  places,  and  ready  to  meet  the 
enemy.  The  division  of  Early,  which  was  somewhat  nearer  at 
hand,  preceded  them  in  their  arrival  upon  the  field. 

The  morning  of  Saturday,  December  13th,  now  arose,  like  its 
predecessor,  calm  and  foggy.  The  city  and  the  extended  plain 
vrere  wrapped  in  the  impenetrable  mantle  of  mist,  until  ten 
o'clock  A.  M.  ;  but  on  both  sides,  every  sound  which  arose  from 
the  obscurity  gave  token  of  grim  preparation.  The  line  of  Gen 
eral  Lee  was  stretched  for  five  and  a  half  miles,  from  the 
heights  overlooking  Falmouth,  along  the  edge  of  the  highlands, 
to  Hamilton's  Crossing,  near  the  Massaponax.  Upon  the  crests 
of  the  hills  were  placed  his  numerous  batteries ;  while  Marye's 
Hill,  as  the  post  of  honor,  was  assigned  to  the  Louisiana  battal 
ion  of  Colonel  Walton.  The  corps  of  Longstreet  held  the  left, 
and  that  of  Jackson  the  right.  Next  the  river,  upon  the  extreme 
left,  was  the  division  of  Major-General  Anderson,  extending  to 
the  neighborhood  of  Marye's  Hill.  Then  came  that  of  M'Laws 
in  the  front  line,  supported  by  that  of  Ransom,  in  reserve.  To 
the  brigade  of  General  T.  It.  Cobb,  of  Georgia,  from  M'Laws's 
division,  was'  assigned  the  post  of  advanced  guard,  along  the 
road  and  stone  wall  which  has  been  described  as  skirting  the 
base  of  that  hill.  Upon  another,  still  more  commanding  height, 
in  its  rear,  were  planted  other  powerful  batteries,  designed  to 
sweep  the  Federalists  from  its  crest,  should  they  succeed  in  gain 
ing  it.  Next  to  M-'Laws  came  the  division  of  Pickett,  occupying 
the  edge  of  the  highlands  opposite  to  the  widest  part  of  the 
plain ;  and  next  to  him  the  division  of  Hood.  On  the  right  the 
country  was  less  elevated ;  it  offered  every  way  fewer  difficulties 
to  the  enemy ;  and  it  was  flanked  by  the  wide  and  imooth  valley 
of  the  Massaponax,  which  was  so  favorable  to  the  operations  of  his 
vast  masses.  Here,  therefore,  General  Jackson  strengthened  him 
self  with  a  triple  line  of  battle,  to  compensate  for  the  weakness 


JACKSON   REVIEWS   HIS   LINE.  609 

of  his  ground.  His  front  line  was  formed  of  two  regiments 
of  the  brigade  of  Field,  from  the  division  of  A.  P.  Hill,  with 
the  brigades  of  Archer,  Lane  and  Fender.  These  stretched  in 
the  order  named,  from  Hamilton's  Crossing  to  the  right  of  Hood. 
But  they  did  not  form  a  continuous  line ;  for  the  brigade  of  Lane 
in  the  centre  was  advanced  two  hundred  yards  to  the  front,  to 
occupy  a  tongue  of  woodland  which  here  projected  itself  far  into 
the  plain.  This  patch  of  forest  was  low  and  marshy;  and 
behind  it,  the  ridge  sunk  almost  into  the  same  level ;  so  that  no 
position  for  artillery  could  be  obtained  upon  Jackson's  centre. 
Behind  the  interval  thus  left  between  the  brigades  of  Archer  and 
Lane,  was  placed  that  of  Gregg ;  and  behind  the  space  which 
separated  the  brigades  of  Lane  and  Fender,  was  that  of  Thomas. 
Thus  the  whole  front  was  composed  of  the  division  of  A.  P. 
Hill.  A  second  line  was  composed  of  the  two  divisions  of  Tal~ 
iaferro  and  Early,  the  former  behind  Fender  and  Thomas,  and 
the  latter  behind  Gregg  and  Archer.  The  division  of  D.  H. 
Hill  was  held  as  a  reserve  in  the  third  line.  All  these  troops 
were  posted  in  the  woods,  which  covered  the  base  and  He  gentle 
acclivities  of  the  hills,  so  that  they  were  not  disclosed  to  the 
view  of  the  enemy.  They  formed  a  line  of  battle  a  mile  and 
a  half  long.  On  General  Jackson's  right  was  Stuart  with  two 
brigades  of  cavalry,  and  his  famous  horse  artillery,  under  the 
boy  hero,  Pelham,  thrown  forward  toward  the  enemy's  left  flank 
in  the  plain.  In  front  of  Archer,  near  Hamilton's  Crossing,  the 
range  of  hills  which,  behind  Fender,  had  sunk  almost  into  the 
plain,  rises  again  to  the  altitude  of  forty  feet ;  with  the  open 
field  extending  to  its  summit.  Here  General  Jackson  placed 
fourteen  picked  guns  from  the  artillery  of  A.  P.  Hill,  under  the 
command  of  Colonel  Lindsay  Walker.  On  the  left  of  his  line 
were  posted  thirty-three  guns,  from  the  batteries  of  Early  and 
Taliaferro,  twelve  of  them  advanced  into  the  plain  beyond  the 
77 


610  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

railroad  track,  and  all  on  level  ground ;  for  the  place  offered  no 
superior  position  for  them.  On  the  right,  twelve  more  guns 
were  also  advanced  to  assist  the  movements  of  Stuart,  and  to 
cross  their  fire  with  those  of  Colonel  Walker.  And  Captain 
Hardaway  from  the  division  of  D.  H.  Hill,  was  sent  with  his 
long  Whitworth  rifle,  to  the  Highlands  east  of  the  Massaponax ; 
whence  he  enfiladed  the  Federal  line  of  battle  as  it  advanced 
from  the  river  road. 

Having  ordered  these  dispositions,  General  Jackson  now  rode 
along  his  whole  front,  to  assure  himself  of  their  completeness, 
accompanied  by  several  general  officers  and  a  brilliant  Staff. 
As  he  appeared  this  morning  upon  his  favorite  battle  steed,  clad 
in  a  new  and  elegant  suit  of  uniform,  the  gift  of  his  friend, 
Stuart,  and  the  old  drab  fatigue  cap,  which  had  so  long  been  to 
his  followers  as  glorious  a  guide  to  victory  as  the  white  plume 
of  Harry  of  Navarre,  replaced  by  the  hat  of  a  Lieutenant- Gen 
eral,  resplendent  with  gold  braid,  he  was  scarcely  recognized  by 
his  veterans.  They  saw  not  in  this  gallant  cavalier,  so  instinct 
in  his  gait  with  martial  elation,  the  sunburned  "old  Stonewall," 
to  whom  their  eyes  were  accustomed  upon  the  field  of  battle. 
As  he  passed  along  his  lines,  his  suite  was  made  the  target  of 
the  Federal  sharp-shooters.  "When  he  reached  the  tongue  of  • 
woodland  occupied  by  the  brigade  of  Lane,  he  said :  "  The 
enemy  will  attack  here ;"  a  prediction  which  a  few  hours  fully 
verified.  Thence  he  proceeded  to  the  station  of  the  Commander- 
in-Chief,  upon  a  commanding  hill  near  the  Hazel  overlooking  the 
whole  plain,  to  receive  his  last  suggestions.  It  was  now  past 
nine  o'clock,  and  the  sun,  mounting  up  the  eastern  sky  with 
almost  a  summer  power,  was  rapidly  exhaling  the  mist.  As  the 
white  folds  dissolved  and  rolled  away,  disclosing  the  whole  plain 
to  view,  such  a  spectacle  met  the  eyes  of  the  Generals  as  the 
pomps  of  earth  can  seldom  rival.  Marshalled  upon  the  vast 


THE  BATTLE   JOINED.  611 

arena  beneath  them,  stood  the  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand 
foes;  with  countless  batteries  of  field  guns  blackening  the  ground. 
Long  triple  lines  of  infantry  crossed  the  field  from  right  to 
left,  and  hid  their  western  extreme  in  the  streets  of  the  little 
city;  while  down  the  valleys  descending  from  the  Stafford 
heights  to  the  bridges,  were  pouring,  in  vast  avalanches  of  men, 
the  huge  reserves.  For  once,  war  unmasked  its  terrible  propor 
tions  to  the  view,  with  a  distinctness  hitherto  unknown  in  the 
forest-clad  landscapes  of  America ;  and  the  plain  of  Fredericks- 
burg  presented  a  •panorama  that  was  dreadful  in  its  grandeur.  To 
the  Confederate  soldiers,  the  multitudinous  hosts  of  their  enemies 
appeared  as  though  all  the  families  of  men  had  been  assembled 
there,  for  the  great  assize  of  the  Last  Day ;  but  confident  in 
their  leaders,  they  beheld  their  numbers  with  steady  courage. 
Not  a  cheek  was  blanched,  nor  a  heart  appalled.  Lee  stood 
upon  his  chosen  hill  of  observation,  inspiring  every  spectator 
by  his  calm  heroism,  with  his  two  great  Lieutenants  beside  him, 
and  reviewed  every  quarter  of  the  field  with  his  glass.  It  was 
then  that  Longstreet,  to  whose  sturdy  breast  the  approach  of  bat 
tle  seemed  to  bring  gaiety,  said  to  Jackson :  "  General,  do  not 
all  these  multitudes  of  Federals  frighten  you?"  He  replied; 
"  We  shall  see  very  soon,  whether  I  shall  not  frighten  them." 
Such  was  the  jest  in  T«diich  the  stern  joy  of  battle  in  their  spirits 
found  utterance,  while  other  hearts  stood  still  with  awe.  They 
then  separated  to  seek  their  several  posts,  and  a?  the  last 
remnants  of  the  mist  rolled  away,  the  battle  began,  with  a  gen 
eral  cannonade.  Three  hundred  guns  now  burst  forth  from  the 
opposing  heights ;  hill  answered  to  lull  with  their  thunders,  while 
the  battle  sw>ke  rolling  sullenly  down  their  sides,  again  envel 
oped  the  plain  in  a  more  dreadful  pall  than  the  morning  fogs ; 
and  through  the  gloom,  the  fiery  projectiles  flew  shrieking 
across  in  stunning  confusion.  Under  the  cover  of  this  tempest, 


612  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 

Burnside  advanced  his  columns  to  the  attack,  at  once,  upon  the 
right  and  upon  the  left. 

In  the  plain  before  him  General  Jackson  saw  the  wing  of 
Franklin,  supported  by  a  part  of  the  grand  division  of  Hooker, 
drawn  out  in  three  vast  lines  of  battle,  which  he  estimated  at 
fifty-five  thousand  men.  They  were  supported  by  numerous 
batteries,  which  advanced  with  them  upon  the  plain.  But  as 
they  passed  the  line  of  the  river  road,  Pelham  dashed  forward 
into  the  open  fields  with  two  chosen  guns  of  his  horse-artillery, 
and  unlimbering  upon  their  left  flank,  began  to  rake  their  massive 
line  with  a  rapid  and  damaging  fire.  At  this  audacious  diversion 
the  Federalists  paused,  threw  a  division  of  infantry  into  crotchet 
at  right  angles  to  their  main  line,  so  as  to  confront  Pelham,  and 
directed  upon  him  the  whole  fire  of  four  batteries,  besides  the 
distant  heavy  guns  upon  the  Stafford  Heights.  But  for  a- whole 
hour  the  two  guns  maintained  the  unequal  duel,  shifting  their 
position  upon  the  plain  as  fast  as  the  enemy  obtained  their  range 
accurately,  disturbing  the  aim  of  their  cannoneers  by  an  occa 
sional  shot  of  deadly  accuracy,  and  still  pouring  a  rapid  fire  into 
the  infantry.  It  was  not  until  Pelham  was  recalled  by  positive 
orders,  that  he  would  surrender  his  hazardous  position ;  and  yet 
he  brought  off  his  command  without  serious  loss.  Such  was  the 
prelude  to  the  tragedy  upon  Jackson's  side ;  and  this  splendid 
example,  doubtless,  did  much  to  inspire  the  rest  of  the  artillery 
with  hign  determination. 

The  Federalists,  having  been  relieved  of  this  antagonist,  now 
advanced  in  earnest,  feeling  the  whole  forest,  which  enveloped 
Jackson's  position,  with  a  shower  of  cannon-shots.  He  com 
manded  his  batteries  to  make  no  response.  Apparrotly  satisfied 
that  the  woods  were  not  occupied  by  any  heavy  force,  they  now 
moved  forward  with  confidence,  but  still  covering  their  front 
with  a  storm  of  projectiles.  When  their  lines  of  infantry  had 


HIS   INSENSIBILITY   TO   FEAR.  613 

approached  within  eight  hundred  yards  of  Jackson's  position, 
they  at  last  awoke  the  response.  The  guns  of  Colonel  Walker, 
upon  the  front  of  Archer,  were  thrust  forward,  and  opened 
furiously  upon  the  Federal  infantry,  firing  to  their  front  and  left, 
while  Pelharn,  supported  by  the  twelve  guns  of  Jackson  in  front 
of  his  extreme  right,  again  scourged  them  with  a  cross  fire.  The 
Federals  paused,  wavered,  while  visible  gaps  were  made  in  their 
ranks  by  every  discharge,  and  then  broke  and  retreated  to  the 
river  road.  For  two  hours  the  struggle  now  degenerated  into 
a  desultory  skirmish  of  sharpshooters.  While  this  lull  in  the 
tempest  continued,  General  Jackson  rode  to  ward 'his  extreme 
right,  and  dismounting,  advanced  on  foot  far  into  the  plain,  fol 
lowed  by  no  escort  save  a  single  aid.  This  was  Lieutenant 
James  Power  Smith,  a  young  man  of  that  class  of  which  the 
Confederate  army  contained  so  many  honorable  members,  who, 
though  educated  and  well-connected,  had  served  long  and  faith 
fully  as  a  private  in  the  Poague  battery.  Jackson  having  noted 
his  devotion  and  intelligence,  with  his  wonted  sagacity,  selected 
him  from  the  ranks,  and  promoted  him  to  be  his  aide-de-camp, — a 
favor  which,  as  will  appear  in  the  sequel,  was  requited  by  young 
Smith  with  a  fidelity  which  deserves  to  link  his  name  in  enduring 
bonds  with  the  memory  of  his  patron.  The  General,  followed 
by  this  zealous  attendant,  now  walked  far  out  into  the  fields,  to 
observe  the  dispositions  of  the  enemy,  when  a  sharp-shooter,  sud 
denly  arising  out  of  the  tall  weeds,  at  two  hundred  yards'  dis 
tance,  levelled  his  rifle,  and  fired  at  him.  The  bullet  hissed 
between  the  heads  of  the  General  and  his  aide,  who  were  standing 
about  two  paces  asunder.  Thereupon  he  turned  to  him  with  a 
sunny  smile  upon  his  face,  and  said,  "  Mr  Smith,  had  you  not 
better  go  to  the  rear  ?  they  may  shoot  you !  "  The  audacity  of 
the  sharp-shooter  seemed  to  strike  him  as  a  pleasant  jest;  but, 
insensible  to  fear  for  himself,  his  caution  only  concerned  itself 


614  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

for  those  committed  to  his  care.  After  he  had  deliberately  sat 
isfied  his  curiosity,  he  returned  to  his  lines,  to  await  another 
attack,  which  he  knew  was  at  hand. 

Having  remained  passive  until  past  noon,  the  Federalists 
now  moved  their  left  again.  Three  lines  of  battle  advanced  to 
the  charge,  preceded  by  clouds  of  skirmishers,  and  strengthened 
by  ten  batteries  of  field-guns  upon  the  flanks.  Again  they 
approached  under  a  furious  cannonade,  to  which  the  batteries  of 
Jackson  made  no  response  until  their  infantry  was  within  point- 
blank  range,  when  they  replied  with  equal  violence.  But  the 
Federal  lines*  now  advanced  with  determination,  and,  as  General 
Jackson  foresaw,  directed  their  attack  to  the  projecting  point  of 
woods  occupied  by  Lane's  brigade.  They  hoped  to  find  here  a 
lodgement,  and  a  protection  from  the  Confederate  artillery ;  for, 
when  they  came  to  close  quarters,  the  oblique  fire  of  the  bat 
teries  on  the  right  and  left  was  necessarily  suspended,  to  avoid 
overwhelming  friend  with  foe,  and  the  place  occupied  by  Lane 
offered  no  position  for  cannon.  Yet  his  sturdy  infantry  stood 
their  ground  for  a  time  against  triple  odds,  until  the  thronging 
multitudes  of  enemies  insinuated  themselves  into  the  gap  between 
his  right  and  the  left  of  Archer,  deployed  rapidly  in  the  woods, 
and  attacked  his  flank  and  rear.  Some  of  his  men  wheeled,  and 
made  front  against  the  new  advance  of  the  Federalists  upon 
their  side ;  a  part  of  his  line  was  broken  and  overwhelmed  in 
the  tangled  woods,  and  the  remainder  retired  upon  its  supports, 
fighting  stubbornly;  while  the  twelve  guns  which  had  been 
advanced  upon  his  left,  across  the  railroad  track,  were  hurriedly 
withdrawn  to  avoid  capture,  suffering  not  a  little  from  the  Fede 
ral  sharp-shooters.  The  left  of  Archer's  brigade  met  a  like  fate 
with  Lane's.  Finding  themselves  taken  in  reverse,  they  broke 
and  fled  before  overpowering  numbers ;  thus  widening  the  great 
breach  in  the  front  line,  through  which  the  Federal  columns 


SECOND  ATTACK  ON  JACKSON.  615 

poured  into  the  woods.  But  Archer  still  held  fast  to  the  right 
of  his  position  with  two  or  three  regiments,  with  a  stubborn 
tenacity  which  contributed  much  to  save  the  day;  and  at 
tempted,  with  another  regiment,  to  form  a  new  front  against  the 
enemy's  flank. 

But  Jackson  had  provided  many  additional  resources  against 
this  casualty.  The  triumphant  irruption  of  the  Federalists  was 
first  checked  by  the  brigades  of  Thomas  and  Gregg,  which 
covered  the  intervals  of  the  front  line.  As  the  throng  of  enemies 
spread  themselves  from  the  breach  in  divergent  columns,  the  one 
bearing  most  toward  the  Confederate  right  found  itself  suddenly 
confronted,  at  close  quarters,  by  Gregg.  His  foremost  regiment, 
mistaking  them  for  friends,  received  a  sudden  volley,  and  was 
thrown  into  confusion.  As  their  lion-hearted  General,  Gregg, 
rushed  forward  to  reinstate  his  battle,  he  was  shot  down  with  a 
mortal  wound.  But  Colonel  Hamilton  speedily  rallied  a  part  of 
his  brigade,  and  made  head  against  the  enemy  until  other  suc 
cors  could  arrive.  Another  torrent  of  Federalists,  directing 
themselves  along  Lane's  rear,  and  toward  the  Confederate  left, 
was  met  by  Thomas,  and  their  efforts  were  partially  contained. 
The  battle  had  now  passed  within  the  range  of  the  artillery, 
which  suspended  its  fire  j  but  the  struggle  raged  in  a  confused 
manner  within  the  woods,  and  the  fragments  of  the  line  of  Hill 
and  of  his  enemies  were  mixed  in  inextricable  confusion.  It  was 
at  this  critical  moment  that  General  Jackson  ordered  up  his 
second  line.  But  the  Generals  commanding  it,  anticipating 
his  wishes  with  intelligent  zeal,  were  about  to  rush  into  the 
wavering  conflict,  when  they  received  his  instructions.  General 
Early,  whose  division  covered  all  the  right  of  A.  P.  Hill's  broken 
line,  threw  the  Georgia  brigade  of  Lawton,  commanded  by  Colo 
nel  Atkinson,  directly  forward;  and  then  moved  the  brigade  of 
Walker  by  its  left  flank,  at  a  double-quick,  until  it  covered  the 


616  LIFE   OP  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

yawning  chasm  upon  Atkinson's  left.  The  two  now  dashed  for 
ward  upon  the  confused  masses  of  the  enemy,  with  such  a  yell  as 
only  the  Confederate  soldiers  know  how  to  give.  Walker  con 
nected  his  left  with  the  right  of  Thomas,  of  Hill's  division,  who 
was  still  showing  an  unbroken  front;  and  the  three  brigades 
swept  the  intruders  in  a  moment  from  the  woods,  and  pursued 
them,  with  heavy  carnage,  across  the  railroad  track,  and  far  into 
the  fields  beyond.  Here,  indeed,  the  enthusiasm  of  the  Georgi 
ans  led  them  too  far;  for,  rushing  several  hundred  yards  in 
advance  of  the  railroad,  they  exposed  their  right  to  a  whole 
division  of  Federal  infantry,  which  fired  into  their  flank,  and 
forced  them  back  to  that  embankment,  capturing  among  their 
wounded  the  commanding  Colonel  and  his  Adjutant. 

But  no  sooner  had  General  Early  assisted  in  restoring  the 
wavering  fortunes  of  the  centre,  than  he  was  entreated  for  suc 
cors  for  the  fragment  of  the  line  of  Archer,  which  was  stagger 
ing  under  the  unequal  pressure.  He  therefore  advanced  the 
brigade  of  Trimble,  under  Colonel  Hoke,  supported  by  Hays, 
upon  the  extreme  right,  relieved  Archer,  and  driving  the  enemy 
across  the  railroad  here  also,  established  his  men  along  that  line. 
As  soon  as  the  enemy's  infantry  was  sufficiently  disengaged  from 
the  woods  on  their  retreat,  the  gallant  Colonel  Walker  opened 
his  guns  upon  them  again,  and  before  they  reached  the  shelter  of 
the  river  road,  inflicted  a  severe  punishment.  While  these 
events  occurred  on  Jackson's  right,  the  division  of  Taliaferro 
also  advanced  with  the  greatest  enthusiasm,  to  support  the  front 
line  upon  his  left.  But  so  speedily  was  the  irruption  of  the 
enemy  repulsed,  nothing  remained  for  them  to  do,  save  that  the 
2nd  Virginia  regiment,  of  the  Stonewall  Brigade,  assisted  in 
driving  out  the  Federalists  who  had  threatened  the  right  of 
Thomas. 

The  division  of  General  Hood,  also,  upon  General  Jackson's 


HIS  LINE  ADVANCED.  617 

left,  instructed  by  Longstreet  to  lend  a  generous  aid  to  their 
neighbors,  had  assisted  with  two  or  three  regiments,  to  repulse  a 
threatening  attack  there.  A  large  detachment  of  the  enemy 
advancing  up  the  channel  of  Deep  Run,  shielded  from  view, 
suddenly  emerged  in  line  of  battle,  and  confronted  the  left  of 
Fender's  brigade,  and  the  numerous  batteries  which  he  sup 
ported.  One  of  his  regiments,  assisted  by  those  of  Hood, 
immediately  attacked  them,  and  drove  them  back  with  great 
spirit.  Especially  did  the  57th  and  54th  North  Carolina,  two 
new  regiments  of  conscripts,  which  had  never  been  under  fire 
before,  cover  themselves  with  glory.  They  pursued  the  broken 
enemy,  the  57th  in  front,  across  the  railroad,  and  for  a  mile  into 
the  plain,  although  scourged  by  a  flank  fire  from  the  channel  of 
the  creek ;  and  it  was  not  until  repeated  messengers  had  been 
sent  to  repress  their  ardor,  that  they  were  recalled.  The  gal 
lant  Hood  said,  that  he  verily  thought  the  mad  fellows  would  go 
to  the  Rappahannock  in  spite  of  him  and  the  enemy  together. 
And  as  they  returned,  some  were  seen  weeping  with  vexation, 
because  they  were  dragged  from  the  bleeding  haunches  of  the 
foe,  and  exclaiming :  "  It  is  because  he  has  not  confidence  in 
Carolinians.  If  we  had  been  some  of  his  Texans,  he  would 
have  let  us  go  on ! "  But  the  men  of  Fender  displayed  equal 
merit,  in  enduring  an  ordeal  of  a  different  nature.  Their  chief 
part  was  to  sustain  the  numerous  batteries  with  which  General 
Jackson  had  guarded  his  left  upon  the  open  plain.  Lying  be 
hind  these  guns,  insulted  by  a  cloud  of  skirmishers,  and  receiv 
ing  a  large  part  of  the  projectiles  aimed  at  the  artillery,  they 
patiently  held  their  ground,  unrelieved  by  the  solace  of  active 
resistance,  until  the  day  was  won. 

A  new  front  line  was  now  formed  by  the  Confederates,  com 
posed  of  portions  of  the  divisions  of  A.  P.  Hill  and  Early,  with 
the-  Stonewall  Brigade,  under  General  Paxton,  along  the  railroad 

73 


618  LIFE  OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

embankment  in  front  of  their  former  position.  It  began  near 
Hamilton's  Crossing  on  the  extreme  right,  and  extending  along 
the  wide  curve  with  which  that  thoroughfare  sweeps  into  the 
plain,  confronted  the  enemy  all  the  way  to  the  position  of  Gen 
eral  Hood.  The  division  of  D.  H.  Hill,  whose  services  had  not 
been  needed  to  complete  the  enemy's  repulse,  was  now  advanced 
to  the  second  line ;  while  the  shattered  portions  of  A.  P.  Hill's 
division  were  drawn  to  the  third.  The  Federalists  did  not 
seriously  renew  their  attack  upon  General  Jackson  during  the 
day;  but  kept  a  spiteful  cannonade,  under  which  he  suffered 
aome  loss.  In  this  battle,  Franklin  had  almost  Qqual  advantages 
of  ground,  and  double  numbers.  But  such  was  the  skill  of 
Jackson  and  his  assistants,  and  the  superior  prowess  of  the  Con 
federate  soldiery,  he  was  beaten,  and  driven  hopelessly  back  to 
his  starting  place,  before  more  than  half  of  his  antagonist's  force 
had  been  displayed.  He  left  about  five  hundred  prisoners, 
besides  many  wounded  men,  and  five  thousand  muskets,  in  Jack 
son's  grasp,  as  trophies  of  his  victory. 

While  this  battle  was  raging  with  General  Jackson's  corps, 
events  of  equal  magnitude  were  occurring  upon  the  left,  in  front 
of  Fredericksburg,  which  are  detailed  with  less  fulness,  only  be 
cause  the  immediate  subject  of  this  narrative  was  unconnected 
with  them.  Here  BuPnside,  with  an  almost  insane  policy, 
selected  Marye's  Hill  as  the  point  of  pertinacious  attack;  a 
position  which,  in  the  hands  of  Confederate  soldiers,  was  impreg 
nable;  and  which,  if  captured,  would  have  been  found  com 
manded  in  turn  by  other  positions  of  greater  strength.  But, 
endeavoring  to  silence  the  batteries  of  Colonel  Walton  upon  its 
crest,  by  the  tremendous  fire  of  his  heavy  guns  upon  the  Stafford 
Heights,  he  hurled  brigade  after  brigade  of  Simmer's  wing 
against  it,  throughout  the  day,  with  no  other  result  than  the  piti 
able  slaughter  of  his  men.  Six  times  his  fresh  reserves  were 


THE  ATTACKS   ON  MARYE'S   HILL.  619 

advanced  to  the  attack.  But  "Walton,  disregarding  the  hurricane 
of  shells  from  the  opposing  hills,  reserved  his  fire  for  the  dense 
lines  of  infantry ;  and  as  soon  as  they  emerged  from  the  town, 
and  formed  for  the  charge,  shattered  them  with  well  directed, 
plunging  volleys.  XThe  advanced  line  of  Cobb,  behind  the  stone 
fence  at  the  base  of  the  hill,  supported  by  Eansom  upon  the  face 
of  the  declivity,  awaited  the  Federals  whenever  they  advanced, 
with  withering  discharges  of  musketry.  The  narrow  field  before 
them  was  literally  encumbered  with  corpses ;  the  gallant  Cobb, 
statesman  and  orator,  as  well  as  soldier,  was  borne  from  his 
post,  mortally  wounded,  assigning  it  to  Kershaw ;  but  still  the 
night  closed  upon  the  carnage,  and  the  Confederates  had  not 
been  dislodged  from  a  single  foot  of  the  outworks  of  their  posi 
tion.  The  depressions  of  ground  along  the  Hazel,  in  which  the 
routed  columns  of  the  Federalists  sought  refuge  from  the  scathing 
fires  of  Marye's  Hill,  were  raked  by  the  more  distant  batteries 
near  General  Lee's  position  upon  the  centre ;  and  the  frightened 
wretches  found  no  refuge,  save  behind  the  dwellings  of  the  town. 
There,  also,  they  were  only  secure,  because  the  Comrnander-in- 
Chief  spared  the  city  from  bombardment,  in  mercy  to  a  few 
hundred  of  the  inhabitants,  who,  he  knew,  had  clung  to  their 
homes  throughout  these  horrors.  In  a  word,  the  Confederates 
at  length  had  here,  a  position  which  was  really  strong,  and 
which  they  had  adequate  forces  to  defend.  It  was  such  a  posi 
tion  as  they  had  been  accustomed  to  wrest  from  Federalists  in 
previous  battles.  The  consequence  was,  that  the  attempt  to 
wrest  it  from  them  never  approximated  the  first  appearance  of 
success,  and  resulted  only  in  a  frightful  loss. 

On  the  right,  the  afternoon  was  wearing  away  without  event, 
save  that  the  contest  of  artillery  was  still  actively  sustained 
between  Stuart  and  Colonel  Walker,  supported  by  some  of  the 
guns  of  Colonel  Brown,  and  the  Federalists.  General  Jackson 


C20  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

desired  them  to  attack  him  again  in  his  position ;  but  when  he 
perceived  that  they  had  learned  too  much  wisdom  by  their  chas 
tisement,  he  was  desirous  that  the  important  juncture  should  not 
pass,  without  at  least  an  attempt  to  turn  their  repulse  into  a 
defeat.  He  longed  to  try;  whether  by  one  grand  advance, 
disregarding  the  fire  from  the  Stafford  Hills,  their  shattered 
masses  might  not  be  routed  from  their  hold  along  the  river 
road,  forced  back  upon  the  deep  river,  mowed  down  at  the 
narrow  approaches  to  their  bridges,  and  hurled  into  the  water. 
He  thirsted  for  at  least  one  victory,  where  the  blood  of  his 
faithful  men,  and  his  own  cares  and  toils,  should  be  rewarded 
by  grand  results,  like  those  of  an  Austerlitz  or  a  Waterloo. 
But  he  knew  something  of  the  double  embankments  of  the 
river  road,  before  him,  and  of  the  double  numbers  of  the 
enemy's  men  and  guns.  He  knew  that  while  the  Federal  was 
no  match  in  prowess  for  the  Confederate  soldier,  yet  he  never 
permitted  any  advantage  to  fail  him,  which  could  be  gained  by 
adroit  cunning  or  mechanical  industry.  He  was  well  aware  that 
it  was  no  easy  task  for  the  inferior  force  to  inflict  an  utter  over 
throw  upon  the  superior,  sustained  by  such  resources,  however 
the  latter  might  be  repelled,  by  a  higher  courage.  As  the  sun 
declined  toward  the  west,  he  was  seen  sitting  upon  his  horse  a 
long  time,  with  his  watch  in  his  hand,  considering  the  effect  of 
the  cannonade  with  which  Stuart  was  still  plying  the  enemy's 
left,  and  counting  the  minutes  until  the  sun  should  touch  the 
horizon.  After  anxious  hesitation,  his  resolve  was  formed ;  he 
determined  to  make  the  essay,  postponing  it  until  the  approach 
of  night,  in  order  that,  if  it  were  successful,  the  death  grapple 
with  the  Federal  infantry  might  be  shielded  from  the  fire  of  their 
protecting  artillery  by  the  darkness,  and  might  be  enhanced  in 
its  confusion  and  horrors ;  or,  if  it  were  unsuccessful,  the  same 
friendly  veil  might  assist  him  in  drawing  off  his  forces  without 


HIS  UNFULFILLED   PLAN.  621 

serious  disaster.  He  therefore  issued  orders,  that  every  gun,  of 
whatever  calibre  or  range,  which  was  not  disabled,  should  be 
advanced  to  the  front ;.  that,  at  sunset,  they  should  move  across 
the  plain  together,  and  open  upon  the  enemy;  that  all  the 
infantry  should  follow,  in  lines  of  battle,  and  that  as  soon  as  the 
Federal  front  showed  signs  of  wavering  under  the  cannonade, 
the  whole  should  charge  with  fixed  bayonets,  and  sweep  the 
invaders  into  the  river.  The  attempt  was  hurriedly  made  to 
effect  these  dispositions;  a  number  of  fresh  batteries  were 
advanced  and  opened  upon  the  enemy ;  and  the  first  line,  which 
the  General  had  committed  to  the  charge  of  Early,  was  just 
springing  to  its'  work,  when  he  recalled  his  orders.  He  per 
ceived  that  the  concert  between  his  different  batteries  of  artillery 
was  too  imperfect  to  promise  him  success ;  that  his  subordinates 
proceeded  to  the  enterprise  with  doubtful  determination ;  and 
that  the  enemy  covered  his  whole  front  with  so  terrible  a  fire 
from  his  countless  artillery,  that  it  threatened  too  great  a  loss  of 
patriot  Mood.  He  therefore,  unwillingly  relinquished  the 
endeavor,  and  made  his  dispositions  for  the  night,  assigning  the 
front  to  Early,  and  ordering  all  the  troops  to  be  relieved  for  a 
short  time,  by  detachments,  that  they  might  replenish  their  ammu 
nition  for  the  morrow.  With  this  exception  the  whole  army  lay 
upon  their  weapons  during  the  night,  in  the  positions  they  had 
held  during  the  day. 

The  unfulfilled  plan  of  General  Jackson  has  not  been  related 
in  order  to  impress  the  imagination  of  the  reader  with  a  picture 
which  was,  perhaps,  impossible  to  be  realized,  of  the  horrors  of 
Botelcr's  Ford,  re-enacted  on  a  grander  scale,  amidst  the  acces 
sories  of  darkness  and  a  stupendous  confusion ;  of  murderous 
lines  of  Confederate  bayonets  rushing  through  the  gloom,  re 
vealed  to  the  affrighted  invaders  by  the  angry  glare  of  the  can 
non  alone ;  of  huddled  masses  of  fugitives,  mowed  down  by  shot 


622  LIFE   OP  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

and  thrust  of  invisible  hands;  and  engulphed  in  the  black  waters ; 
while  Jackson  and  his  fierce  subordinates  urged  on  the  carnival 
of  death.  The  purpose  is  to  prove,  by  a  great  and  notable 
instance,  that  General  Jackson's  determination  had  none  of  that 
headstrong  imprudence  which  has  sometimes  been  imputed  to 
him.  He  was  capable  of  grand  resolves ;  no  commander  ever 
engaged  his  adversary  with  more  of  "  the  unconquerable  will,  and 
purpose  never  to  submit  or  yield  "  than  he ;  but  none  was  ever 
more  careful  of  the  blood  of  his  men,  or  tempered  his  daring 
with  greater  wisdom. 

Thus  ended  the  great  battle  of  Fredericksburg,  in  which  the 
Federalists  confessed  a  loss  of  twelve  thousand  men  killed  and 
wounded,  nine  thousand  small  arms,  and  about  a  thousand  pris 
oners.  In  repelling  the  attacks  of  their  vast  army,  General  Lee 
had  employed  less  than  twenty-five  thousand  men,  and  had  expe- 
rierhced  a  loss  of  four  thousand  two  hundred.  Of  these  nearly 
twenty-nine  hundred  were  killed  and  wounded  in. the  corps  of 
General  Jackson ;  and  there  were,  in  addition,  five  hundred  and 
twenty-six  officers  and  men  captured,  chiefly  from  the  division  of 
A.  P.  Hill.  That  division  also  bore  the  heavier  part  of  the  loss 
in  killed  and  wounded :  a  price  which  the  brave  are  accustomed 
to  pay  for  the  post  of  honor.  The  batteries  which  were  long 
engaged  suffered  much  in  this  action,  and  especially  those  of 
Colonel  Lindsay  Walker.  Placed  in  a  prominent  position,  from 
which  there  was  no  retreat,  and  made  the  target  for  a  continual 
.fire  for  many  hours,  they  were  often  struck,  and  lost  many  men 
and  horses. 

After  all  the  necessary  dispositions  had  been  made  for  the 
night,  General  Jackson  retired  to  his  tent  to  seek  a  few  hours' 
repose.  There  his  friend,  Colonel  Boteler,  awaited  him,  to  whom 
he  offered  a  share  of  his  pallet ;  but  long  after  the  other  had 
lain  down,  he  continued  to  write  and  send  despatches.  At 


THE  NIGHT  AFTER  THE  BATTLE.  623 

length,  near  midnight,  he  lay  down  beside  him,  without  removing 
any  of  his  clothing,  and  slept  for  two  or  three  hours ;  when  he 
again  arose,  lighted  his  candle,  and  resumed  his  writing.  But, 
observing  that  the  rays  fell  full  in  the  face  of  his  friend,  whom 
he  supposed  to  be  still  asleep,  he  immediately  procured  a  book, 
which  ho  so  adjusted  upon  his  table  as  to  screen  him  from  the 
light,  that  he  might  not  disturb  his  slumbers.  About  four  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  he  called  to  his  faithful  Jim  for  his  horse :  and, 
after  a  friendly  altercation  with  him,  concerning  his  desire  to 
ride  the  same  one  which  had  borne  him  through  the  battle  of  the 
previous  day,  in  which  Jim  came  off  victorious,  he  rode  away 
with  a  single  aide.  He  had  mounted  thus  early  in  order  to 
redeem  an  hour  before  the  day  dawned,  to  pay  a  visit  to  the 
dying  soldier,  General  Maxey  Gregg.  This  heroic  man  had 
fallen  the  day  before,  shot  through  the  body  in  the  irruption  of 
the  enemy  through  the  line  of  A.  P.  Hill,  and  now  lay  in  a 
neighboring  dwelling,  drawing  near  to  his  last  hour ;  but  still  as 
calm  as  upon  the  field  of  battle,  and  as  ready  to  render  up  his 
life  a  sacrifice  for  his  country.  General  Jackson  spent  a  few 
solemn  moments  by  his  couch,  and  bade  adieu  to  him  with  tender 
sympathy.  He  then  returned  to  the  front,  to  meet  the  first 
dawn  of  day  among  his  men,  and  to  assure  himself  that  they 
were  prepared  for  the  expected  renewal  of  the  assault. 

General  Lee,  on  his  part,  had  spent  the  night  in  diligent  pre 
parations  for  such  an  event.  The  enemy  had  been  so  easily 
repulsed  by  a  fraction  of  the  Confederate  army,  and  still  pos 
sessed  so  enormous  a  superiority  of  numbers,  that  he  could  not 
believe  Burnside  would  accept  a  final  defeat  on  those  terms.  He 
therefore  supposed  that  the  attempt  of  Saturday  was  but  the  pre 
lude  to  a  more  strenuous  attack  to  be  made  on  the  Sabbath.  He 
earnestly  desired  that  the  assault  should  be  renewed  j  because 
the  strength  of  his  position  assured  him  that  it  would  only  result 


624  LIFE    OF   LJ.EUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

in  the  further  destruction  of  the  enemy.  His  troops  were 
therefore  all  prepared  with  supplies  of  ammunition  for  another 
day  of  yet  more  tremendous  battle ;  and  the  weaker  points  of  his 
line  were  strengthened  with  works  hastily  thrown  up  during  the 
night.  The  morning  disclosed  the  Federalists  still  drawn  up 
upon  the  plain,  in  full  array,  and  showing  a  steady  front ;  but 
the  day  wore  away  without  any  demonstration,  save  a  continual 
skirmish  of  the  sharp-shooters  and  artillery.  In  truth,  Burnside 
purposed  a  renewal  of  the  attack ;  but  his  three  Lieutenants,  who 
seem  to  have  assumed  a  practical  independence  of  his  will, 
remonstrated  so  boldly,  and  gave  such  representations  of  the 
demoralization  of  their  troops,  that  he  was  compelled  to  relin 
quish  his  design.  The  next  subject  for  his  consideration  there 
fore  was,  in  what  way  he  might  best  extricate  himself  from  his 
perilous  position.  This  was  a  problem  which  was  not  easy  of 
solution;  for,  to  retreat  across  his  narrow  floating  bridges,  in 
the  face  of  a  watchful  and  victorious  foe,  was  to  invite  destruc 
tion.  He  therefore  spent  the  day  strengthening  his  position, 
especially  before  the  front  of  the  town,  with  hastily-dug  trenches, 
and  kept  his  outposts  pressed  close  up  to  those  of  General  Lee, 
as  though  preparing  for  further  aggressive  movements. 

During  the  night  of  the  14th  of  December,  General  Jackson 
held  his  troops  in  the  same  lines,  except  that  the  division  of 
D.  H.  Hill  was  placed  in  the  front,  and  that  of  Early  was  re 
lieved  by  retiring  to  a  less  exposed  place.  During  Monday,  the 
15th,  a  flag  of  truce  was  sent,  requesting  a  few  hours'  truce 
between  the  Confederate  right  wing  and  the  Federal  left,  in 
order  that  the  latter  might  relieve  their  wounded,  many  of  whom 
had  now  been  lying  upon  the  freezing  ground  two  days  and  two 
nights.  The  note  containing  this  request  was  signed  by  a  Gen 
eral  of  subordinate  rank.  At  Sharpsburg,  some  of  the  Confed 
erate  Generals  had  granted  a  temporary  truce  upon  a  similar 


THE   ENEMY    WITHDRAWS.  625 

application,  which  had  been  afterwards  disclaimed  by  M'Clellan. 
General  Jackson  therefore  replied  to  this,  that  when  authenti 
cated  by  the  General  commanding  the  Federal  army,  the  ap 
plication  would  receive  an  answer.  After  a  time,  it  was  returned 
with  the  authority  of  Burnside,  when  the  truce  was  promptly 
granted.  In  his  front,  grim-visaged  war  now  smoothed  its  horrors 
for  a  few  hours ;  and  while  the  hospital  attendants  were  busy 
in  removing  the  dead  and  wounded,  officers  and  men  from  the 
adverse  ranks  mingled  together  in  familiar  intercourse. 

The  second  day  after  the  battle  was  now  ended.  The  Con 
federates  were  eager  in  their  hopes  that  the  enemy  would  attack 
again  on  the  morrow,  when  an  opportunity  would  be  again  found 
to  avenge,  upon  the  invaders  of  their  homes,  the  barbarities  which 
had  marked  the  war.  Such  was  £LQ  enthusiasm  which  reigned 
among  them,  the  division  of  D.  H.  Hill,  which  should,  in  turn, 
have  been  relieved  from  the  front  on  the  15th,  sent  a  written 
request  to  General  Jackson,  to  be  allowed  to  remain  there 
another  night,  in  the  hope  that  they  might  have  the  honor  of 
receiving  the  enemy's  first  attack  the  next  morning.  Their 
request  was  granted ;  but  with  the  morning  came  a  grievous  dis 
appointment.  The  whole  opposing  army  was  gone,  with  all  its 
appurtenances,  and  had  removed  its  bridges,  and  resumed  its 
post  upon  the  Stafford  heights.  The  weather  had  come  to  their 
assistance,  in  the  shape  of  a  storm  of  rain,  accompanied  with  a 
tempestuous  wind  from  the  south,  which,  driving  from  the  Con 
federates  toward  the  enemy,  had  effectually  stifled  the  sound  of 
every  note  of  preparation  for  the  march.  Under  cover  of  this 
wind  and  the  Egyptian  darkness,  they  had  been  busy  all  night, 
withdrawing  their  army  and  artillery  over  a  number  of  bridges, 
while  the  numerous  sentries  close  to  the  Confederate  front  kept 
up  a  bold  show  to  the  last.  After  all  the  rest  had  retired,  these 
out-posts  also  were  called  in,  their  officers  passing  from  man  to 
79 


626  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

man,  and  giving  the  order  to  fall  back  in  a  whisper.  With  such 
industry  and  adroitness  was  the  retreat  conducted,  all  the  vast 
multitude,  with  its  countless  carriages,  was  withdrawn  in  one 
night,  in  the  midst  of  intense  darkness,  and  without  the  aid  of 
even  a  lamp;  for  they  feared  to  draw  on  themselves  the  fire 
of  the  Confederate  cannon.  When  some  of  the  citizens,  who 
had  remained  shut  up  in  their  houses  during  the  whole  struggle, 
came  with  candles  to  their  doors,  to  learn  the  cause  of  the 
strange,  dull  buzz  which  filled  the  air,  they  were  startled  to  find 
the  streets  packed  with  dense  columns  of  men,  whose  faces  were 
all  turned  toward  the  river,  and  who  instantly  greeted  their 
appearance  with  the  stern  whisper;  "  Put  out  that  light !  Put 
out  that  light ! "  Some  of  the  officers  also  sprung  from  the  ranks, 
snatched  the  lights  from  their  hands,  extinguished  them,  and  thrust 
the  bearers  back  within  doors.  The  movement  was  all  accom 
plished  before  the  Confederate  pickets  learned  anything.  When 
the  dull  and  dreary  dawn  began  to  steal  over  the  ground,  they 
perceived  that  the  sentries  who  had  confronted  them  were  either 
gone  or  were  motionless ;  and  upon  approaching  the  latter,  they 
found  that  they  were  dead  corpses,  stiff  and  stark,  which  the 
Federals  had  propped  up  against  stones  or  posts,  placing 
muskets  in-  their  hands  ! 

On  re-entering  the  afflicted  city,  the  Confederates  discovered 
also,  that  the  enemy  had  employed  the  leisure  of  the  two  days 
after  the  battle,  in  sacking  its  dwellings  from  one  end  to  the 
other.  The  only  houses  which  escaped  were  those  which,  being 
occupied  by  wounded  men,  or  by  the  quarters  of  general  officers, 
were  guarded  by  their  sentries.  Not  only  was  every  species  of 
food  and  other  portable  property,  which  a  soldier  could  desire, 
carried  away,  but  the  most  ingenious  and  laborious  destruction 
was  wrought  upon  that  which  they  did  not  need.  Costly  furni 
ture  and  pianos  were  hewn  to  pieces  with  axes,  the  wardrobes 


FREDERICKSBURG  SACKED.  —  REMARKS.  627 

of  ladies  torn  into  shreds,  mirrors  precipitated  upon  the  pave 
ments,  and  the  morocco-bound  books  of  gentlemen's  libraries 
carried  in  hampers  to  the  river,  and  tumbled  into  the  slime  of 
the  tides.  But  otherwise,  the  general  aspect  of  the  buildings 
gave  singular  proof  of  the  difficulty  of  actually  destroying  a  city 
by  a  bombardment.  After  all  the  tempest  of  projectiles  by 
which  it  seemed  the  doomed  city  must  be  levelled  with  the 
ground,  only  a  few  houses  were  burned,  and  a  few  seriously 
broken  down.  In  the  others,  the  only  signs  of  bombardment 
were  a  few  small  holes  perforated  in  the  walls  and  roofs  by  the 
shot,  and  a  number  of  places,  where  glass  and  plastering  had 
been  broken  by  the  explosions;  while  many  buildings  had 
almost  miraculously  escaped. 

In  this  retreat,  the  Federalists  had  every  circumstance  to 
favor  the  secrecy  of  their  movements ;  yet  their  success  casts  a 
reflection  upon  the  watchfulness  of  the  Confederates.  It  was 
true  that  the  darkness,  the  rain,  and  the  tempestuous  wind,  were 
sufficient  to  hide  all  the  movements  of  the  fugitives  from  the 
sentries ;  but  surely,  on  all  that  extended  front,  there  ought  to 
have  been  some  scouts  adventurous  and  shrewd  enough  to  pene 
trate  the  enemy's  lines,  by  some  mode,  and  gather  some  data 
which  would  be  decisive  of  their  purpose  to  fight  or  flee.  The 
Confederate  commander  was  much  disappointed  by  the  result. 
Another  imperfect  victory  had  been  added  to  the  list  of  his 
exploits,  in  which  the  glory  of  a  masterly  strategy  and  heroic 
courage  at  the  beginning,  was  overclouded  by  a  partial  forfeiture 
of  the  anticipated  fruits  of  victory.  His  beaten  enemy  had 
again  extricated  himself  from  a  situation,  which  promised  a  com 
plete  triumph  and  a  speedy  peace  to  the  Confederacy.  Doubt 
less  General  Lee  admitted  in  his  own  breast,  that  had  he 
foreseen  this  escape  of  Burnside,  he  ought  to  have  taken  the 
aggressive  against  him  during  the  two  days  of  inaction,  in  some 


628  LIFE    OF    LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

way.  But  what  that  way  should  have  been,  it  was  still  not  so 
easy  to  determine.  His  advantage  over  Burnside  in  position 
and  facility  of  attack,  was  after  all  more  seeming  than  real.  In 
front  of  the  Confederate  right,  the  Federalists  held  fast  to  the 
two  embankments  of  the  river  road,  which  they  made  almost  im 
pregnable  with  countless  batteries,  and  double  lines  of  infantry ; 
and  where  they  were  protected  by  the  fire  of  their  guns  of  long 
range  from  the  north  bank.  If  General  Jackson  would  reach 
these  lines,  he  must  leave  his  position  in  the  wooded  hills,  and 
advance  into  the  plain,  where  every  advantage  passed  'from  his 
side  to  that  of  his  enemy.  At  Fredericksburg,  the  more  con 
tracted  space  brought  either  party  which  took  the  aggressive 
immediately  under  a  murderous  fire  from  the  opposing  heights. 
If  the  Confederates  advanced,  they  seemed  to  incur  the  same" 
disadvantages  which  the  Federalists  had  found  so  disastrous  at 
Marye's  Hill. 

But  in  one  particular,  General  Jackson  differed  from  his  asso 
ciates,  in  his  estimate  of  the  situation.  He  did  not  consider  the 
battle  of  the  13th  of  December  as  a  mere  prelude  to  a  greater 
struggle.  He  appreciated  the  full  influence  of  the  events  of  that 
day  upon  the  army  of  Burnside,  and  was  convinced  that  it  was  at 
the  end  of  that  day  a  beaten  army,  and  would  attempt  nothing 
more  on  that  ground.  He  did  not  expect  a  renewal  of  their  as 
saults  the  next  morning,  although  his  vigilance  prompted  to  take 
every  precaution  against  it.  He  saw  clearly  that  it  was  for  the 
Confederates  to  take  the  initiative  next,  or  else  the  affair  would 
continue  incomplete.  In  this,  he  showed  his  customary  sagacity, 
and  that  almost  infallible  insight  into  his  adversary's  condition 
and  temper,  which  had  guided  him  in  previous  campaigns.  But 
his  habitual  modesty  prevented  his  obtruding  his  opinions ;  and 
there  is  no  certain  evidence  what  plan  of  action  he  would  have 
recommended. 


POSSIBLE  MODE   OP   IMPROVING  THE  VICTORY.  629 

The  handling  of  Captain  Hardaway's  Whitworth  rifle  during 
the  14th,  upon  the  highlands  east  of  the  Massaponax,  gave  one 
indication,  which  deserved  to  be  followed  up.  Mounting  a  straw- 
rick  which  stood  upon  a  bold  hill  there,  in  range  with  the  distant 
line  of  the  river  road,  he  stationed  his  gun  beside  it ;  and  glass 
in  hand,  directed  a  slow  and  accurate  fire  upon  the  enemy's 
position.  They  could  make  no  effective  reply ;  and  with  his  one 
piece,  he  so  enfiladed  and  raked  that  road  as  to  compel  them  to 
remove  their  batteries  to  other  ground.  One  of  his  shells  was 
supposed  to  have  slain  the  Federal  General  Bayard,  near  the 
centre  of  the  Federal  army,  and  three  miles  distant.  Now,  had 
a  strong  detachment  of  Jackson's  guns  of  longest  range  been 
likewise  posted  in  the  Highlands,  during  the  14th,  their  fire 
might  so  far  have  counterbalanced  that  of  the  Federal  artillery, 
as  to  enable  him,  with  the  remainder  of  his  corps,  to  overwhelm 
their  left,  without  ruinous  loss  to  himself,  by  a  front  and  flank 
attack  combined.  But  the  most  obvious  expedient  for  completing 
the  discomfiture  of  Burnside's  army,  was  to  concentrate  powerful 
masses  of  artillery  on  all  the  hills  commanding  the  city  itself, 
and  disregarding  the  reply  from  the  Stafford  Heights,  to 
overwhelm  the  whole  locality  with  a  sustained  cannonade. 
The  drift  of  the  Federal  troops  was  continually  toward  the 
streets  of  the  town,  after  the  battle  of  Saturday;  there  were 
their  most  numerous  bridges  ;  and  thither  the  stragglers  rushed 
for  spoils.  The  streets  and  open  spaces  were  doubtless  so 
crowded  with  men  during  the  whole  occupation,  that  such  a 
bombardment  must  have  inflicted  a  bloody  loss;  and  the 
approaches  to  all  the  bridges  near  the  town  being  thus  made 
impracticable,  the  sense  of  its  insecurity  might  have  plunged 
the  whole  army  into  panic.  Two  motives  held  back  the 
hands  of  the  Confederates  from  this  obvious  experiment; 
the  expectation  of  having  a  more  urgent  use  for  the  ammunition, 


630  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

to  fight  another  general  action  in  their  chosen  position;  and 
compassion  for  two  or  three  hundred  citizens  of  the  gallant 
town,  who  were  supposed  to  be  still  clinging  to  their  ruined 
homes. 

The  failure  of  this  grand  attempt  of  Burnside  plunged  the 
Federal  Government  and  people  into  mortification  and  rage. 
For  once,  the  disappointment  was  too  bitter  to  be  concealed ; 
and  their  anguish  rendered  them  temporarily  honest  enough  to 
forego  their  customary  boastings.  The  butchery  of  their  men, 
and  the  profound  discouragement  of  the  survivors,  were  fully 
avowed.  The  Federal  ministry  compelled  poor  Burnside  to 
make  himself  the  scape-goat  for  the  fault,  by  assuming,  in  a  pub 
lished  order,  the  whole  responsibility  of  the  movement.  The 
blatant  press  now  denounced  their  late  favorite  with  an  injustice 
equal  to  their  former  senseless  adulation.  And  a  Congressional 
Committee  of  inquiry  visited  the  army,  and  gathered  the  evidence 
for  completing  his  disgrace.  He  was,  after  a  little,  removed 
from  his  command,  and  succeeded  by  his  insubordinate  and  boast 
ful  Lieutenant,  Hooker.  His  army  was  quietly  withdrawn  a 
few  miles  from  the  river,  and  cantoned  in  winter-quarters  in  the 
counties  of  Stafford  and  King  George. 

It  is  believed  that  the  reader,  in  reviewing  the  affair  of  Fred- 
ericksburg,  will  concur  in  the  assertion  with  which  the  narrative 
began:  that  Burnside's  plan  was  not  ill-conceived.  With  the 
means  which  his  Government  placed  at  his  disposal,  the  attempt 
to  cross  the  Rappahannock  at  Fredericksburg,  in  the  face  of 
Lee's  army,  was  feasible ;  and  since  Burnside's  masters  dictated 
to  him  the  necessity  of  marching  on  Richmond  by  some  route,  the 
essay  which  he  chose,  was  proper  for  him  to  make.  The  only 
real  obstacle  was  the  Confederate  army ;  but  that  must  be  met 
somewhere ;  and  his  Government  and  people  were  unanimous  in 
asserting  that  he  both  could  and  must  overthrow  it  in  some  way. 


THE   BLUNDERS.  631 

The  conception  of  Burnside,  then,  was  good.  His  first  fault  was, 
that  he  did  not  estimate  with  practical  wisdom  the  uncertainties 
and  bureau  impotency  of  the  administration ;  so  as  to  make  sure 
of  all  the  apparatus  necessary  for  a  prompt  movement,  such 
as  pontoon  trains,  by  his  own  personal  superintendence.  He 
began  to  move  from  Warrenton  to  his  new  base  on  the  13th 
of  November.  Two  marches  should  have  brought  him  to  Fred- 
ericksburg.  The  last  of  Longstreet's  corps  did  not  arrive  until 
the  21st.  With  all  his  preparations  duly  anticipated,  and  with 
reasonably  prompt  movements,  he  should  have  crossed  the  river 
in  force,  and  been  master  of  the  southern  bank,  before  the  Con 
federates  were  in  a  condition  to  meet  him.  But  the  very  odds 
>hich  they  found  themselves  compelled  to  bring  against  the 
^Confederates,  in  order  to  cope  with  them,  always  rendered  their 
army  an  unwieldy  monster,  too  cumbrous  for  any  one  mind  to 
comprehend  or  handle  with  precision. 

After  the  opportunity  for  a  sudden  surprise  was  thus  lost, 
Burnside  proceeded  with  skill  and  judgment  in  the  disposition 
which  he  made  of  his  superior  artillery,  and  in  the  measures  by 
which  he  forced  the  passage  of  the  river.  But  then  his  blunders 
began  again.  Of  these  the  greatest  was  the  direct  attempt  to 
storm  Marye's  Hill,  which  was  the  very  last  point  to  which  his 
efforts  should  have  been  directed.  An  attack  upon  the  extreme 
of  the  Confederate  left,  or  upon  their  centre,  —  anything  would 
have  been  less  reprehensible.  But  his  opportunity  was,  in  fact, 
only  upon  the  right  j  and  all  his  real  weight  should  have  been 
thrown  against  Jackson.  If  he  had  moved  promptly  under  the 
dense  fog  of  the  12th  of  December,  while  as  yet  neither  Early 
hor  D.  H.  Hill  were  in  position,  he  might  have  carried,  by  his 
infantry,  positions  which  would  have  transferred  the  decisive  bat 
tle  to  the  interior  of  Spottsylvania,  or  to  the  North  Anna.  Or 
else,  if  he  had  employed  that  day  in  bridging  the  Massaponax 


632  LIFE   OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

near  its  mouth,  and  in  opening  ways  for  Ms  vast  artillery  force 
near  the  eastern  highlands ;  if  he  had  made  all  his  operations 
nearer  Fredericksburg,  on  the  13th,  a  feint,  and  instead  of  allow 
ing  a  large  part  of  Hooker's  grand  division  to  hang  as  a  useless 
reserve  about  the  Stafford  heights  until  the  day  was  practically 
lost,  had  pressed  forward  the  whole  of  it  to  support  Franklin, 
and  had  thus  moved  in  force  upon  both  sides  of  the  Massaponax, 
he  might  have  reasonably  promised  himself  a  successful  issue.  It 
was  manifest  that  the  railroad  from  Fredericksburg  to  Richmond 
must  be  the  essential  part  of  General  Lee's  line  of  operations. 
But  the  direction  of  that  thoroughfare  down  the  valley  of  the 
Rappahannock,  indicated  that  Burnside  should  advance  only  by 
his  left ;  besides  that,  the  country  on  his  left  flank  was  every 
way  the  more  favorable  to  him.  There  is  no  boast  in  saying,  that 
if  it  had  been  Jackson,  with  the  Confederate  army,  who  had 
seized  the  northern  edge  of  the  plateau  of  Fredericksburg,  and 
Burnside  who  stood  on  the  defensive  upon  the  Spottsylvania  hills, 
the  former  would  have  been  as  sure  of  occupying  enough  of  the 
hills  of  the  Massaponax  to  turn  the  position  of  the  latter  success 
fully,  as  the  sun  of  the  13th  rose  upon  the  two  armies. 

It  was  manifest  that  the  retreat  of  Burnside  was  the  end  of 
the  campaign  for  the  winter.  The  army  of  General  Lee  there 
fore  proceeded  to  construct  its  winter-quarters  in  the  wooded 
country  behind  the  Rappahannock,  the  corps  of  General  Jackson 
stretching  from  the  neighborhood  of  Guinea's  •  Station  toward 
Port  Royal.  Very  soon  the  men  were  comfortably  housed  in 
huts  of  their  own  construction,  and  settled  down  into  the  mono 
tonous  routine  of  the  cantonment.  General  Jackson,  after  a  few 
days'  hesitation,  established  his  head-quarters  at  Moss  Neck,  the* 
hospitable  mansion  of  Mr.  Corbin,  midway  between  Fredericks 
burg  and  Port  Royal,  and  near  the  centre  of  his  troops.  De 
clining  the  offer  of  rooms  in  the  commodious  dwelling,  lest  he 


JACKSON   AT    MOSS   NECK.  C33 

should  unavoidably  trespass  upon  the  convenience  of  its  inmates, 
he  accepted  the  use  of  a  sporting-lodge  at  the  edge  of  the  lawn 
for  his  lodgings.  In  the  upper  room  of  this  cottage  his  pallet  was 
spread ;  and  the  lower,  still  ornamented  with  the  prints  and  tro 
phies  of  the  chase  appropriate  to  its  former  uses,  was  occupied 
as  his  office.  A  large  tent,  erected  near  by,  supplied  the  place  of 
a  dining-room  for  his  mess.  With  these  humble  arrangements 
he  addressed  himself  diligently  to  the  improvement  of  his  com 
mand,  and  the  preparation  of  his  official  reports,  to  which  the 
bustle  of  the  extraordinary  campaign  just  closed  had  forbidden 
his  giving  'attention  before.  While  the  troops  were  steadily 
engaged  in  the  construction  of  their  winter-quarters,  of  roads  to 
the  stations  whence  they  drew  their  supplies  through  the  rail 
road,  and  of  an  elaborate  line  of  entrenchments,  which  covered 
the  whole  country  from  Fredericksburg  to  Port  Royal,  he  set 
himself  busily  to  bring  up  this  arrear  of  office-work.  In  the  com 
position  of  the  reports  of  his  battles  his  reverence  for  truth  and 
justice  was  conspicuous.  The  facts  were  laboriously  examined . 
by  him  j  and  then  every  sentence  of  his  narrative  was  reviewed 
and  scanned  with  most  anxious  care,  that  all  might  be  true  to 
the  reality.  The  language  of  exaggeration  was  jealously  avoided, 
nor  did  he  descend  to  rhetorical  portraiture :  all  was  the  severe 
simplicity  of  history;  Yet  these  reports  are  models  of  perspi 
cuity,  of  transparent  plainness,  and  of  true  graphic  power ;  and 
the  literary  man  of  true  taste  will  esteem  them  as  excellent 
specimens  of  narrative.  This  labor  was  continued,  at  intervals, 
throughout  the  winter;  and  was  just  completed  when  the  ad 
vance  of  Hooker,  in  the  following  spring,  summoned  him  to  that 
crowning  exploit,  of  which  his  death  left  the  narration  in  other 
hands. 

His  attention  was  now  addressed  to  an  evil  which  had  always 
been  grievous  in  the  Confederate  armies,  —  absence  from  the 

80 


634  LIFE   OP   LIEUT. -GEXEKAL   JACKSOX. 

ranks  without  leave.  Employing  his  friend,  the  Hon.  Mr.  Bote- 
ler,  as  his  advocate  in  Congress,  he  urgently  called  the  attention 
of  the  Committee  on  Military  Affairs  to  this  abuse.  He  declared 
that  if  it  could  be  corrected  even  approximately,  and  the  larger 
part  of  the  absentees  could  be  recalled  to  the  ranks,  the  army 
would  be  so  increased  that,  with  the  Divine  blessing,  one  more 
campaign  would  sweep  the  enemy  from  the  soil  of  the  Confede 
rate  States.  One  of  his  brigades  reported  twelve  hundred 
absentees!  He  proposed  a  novel  plan,  in  which  he  expressed 
great  confidence,  for  abating  the  nuisance.  This  was,  to  offer  a 
pecuniary  reward  for  the  apprehension  and  delivery'  of  all  men 
reported  as  absent  without  leave,  to  be  paid  at  first  by  the  Gov 
ernment,  but  afterwards  re-imbursed  from  the  pay  of  the  delin 
quent.  To  carry  out  this  conception,  he  proposed  that  it  should 
be  embodied  substantially  in  the  following  form :  — 

"Suppose,  for  instance,  that  a  brigade-commander  makes  an 
arrangement  with  persons  not  liable  to  military  duty,  to  arrest 
and  deliver  his  absentees ;  and  that  he  requires  each  company- 
commander,  as  soon  as  he  knows  that  one  of  his  men  is  absent 
without  leave,  to  send  up  to  brigade-headquarters  a  certificate  of 
the  fact ;  and  the  brigade-commander  sends  the  certificate  to  one 
of  the  persons  with  whom  he  has  previously  agreed  to  arrest  and 
bring  back  his  absentees ;  and  that  ivhenever  the  delinquent  and 
certificate  shall  be  delivered  to  the  commanding  officer,  of  a  military 
post  or  camp,  such  commanding  officer  gives  a  receipt  for  the,  same. ; 
and  upon  the  presentation  of  such  receipt  to  the  Quartermaster  of 
the  post  or  camp,  he  pays  the  reward,  - —  say,  fifteen  dollars.  In 
order  to  indemnify  the  Government,  let  the  commanding  officer 
of  the  post  or  camp  not  only  send  to  the  company-commander 
the  man,  but  also  a  notification  that  a  receipt  has  been  given  for 
his  delivery,  in  order  that  the  company-commander  may  enter 


HE   DECLINES   A   FURLOUGH.  635 

the  reward  opposite  the  man's  name  on  the  muster  and  pay-roll, 
so  as  to  have  it  stopped  from  his  pay." 

This  proposal  was  never  submitted  to  the  test  of  experiment. 
General  Jackson  at  least  endeavored  to  set  a  wholesome  example 
of  the  duty  of  adherence  to  the  service.  He  had  never  had  a 
day  of  furlough.  When  invited  by  a  friend  to  allow  himself  a 
little  respite  for  a  visit  at  his  house,  where  he  might  meet  his 
wife  and  the  infant  daughter  which  he  had  never  seen,  he  replied 
expressing  the  delight  which  such  a  vacation  would  give  him  j 
but  firmly  declining  the  proposal.  A  characteristic  letter  to  Mrs. 
Jackson  may  be  introduced  here,  illustrating  this  matter. 

"CHRISTMAS,  1862. 

"  I  do  earnestly  pray  for  peace.  Oh  that  our  country  was 
such  a  Christian,  God-fearing  people  as  it  should  be!  Then 
might  we  very  speedily  look  for  peace. 

"  It  appears  to  me,  that  it  is  better  for  me  to  remain  with  my 
command  so  long  as  the  war  continues,  if  our  ever  gracious 
Heavenly  Father  permits.  The  army  suffers  immensely  by 
absentees.  If  all  our  troops,  officers  and  men,  were  at  their 
posts,  we  might,  through  God's  blessing,  expect  a  more  speedy 
termination  of  the  war.  The  temporal  affairs  of  some  are  so 
deranged  as  to  make  a  strong  plea  for  their  returning  home  for 
a  short  time ;  but  our  God  has  greatly  blessed  me  and  mine 
during  my  absence ;  and  whilst  it  would  be  a  great  comfort  to 
see  you,  and  our  darling  little  daughter,  and  others  in  whom  I 
take  special  interest,  yet  duty  appears  to  require  me  to  remain 
with  my  command.  It  is  important  that  those  at  head-quarters 
set  an  example  by  remaining  at  the  post  of  duty. 

«  Dr. writes, l  our  little  prayer  meeting  is  still  meeting 

daily,  to  pray  for  pur  army  and  leaders.'  This  prayer  meeting 
may  be  the  means  of  accomplishing  more  than  an  army.  I  wish 


636  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

that  such  existed  everywhere.  How  it  does  cheer  my  heart,  to 
hear  of  God's  people  praying  for  our  cause,  and  for  me  1  I 
greatly  prize  the  prayers  of  the  pious." 

The  new  year  brought  him  the  sad  news  of  the  re-occupation 
of  Winchester  by  the  Federal  army.  His  friends  there  were  now 
subjected  to  the  tyranny  and  outrages  of  the  Federal  General  Mil- 
roy.  Under  his  rule,  the  most  vexatious  and  cruel  restrictions 
were  placed  upon  the  people ;  and  the  plunder  of  their  dwellings 
was  shamelessly  transferred  to  the  private  baggage  of  the  Com 
mander.  Nothing  which  could  characterize  the  baseness  of  a 
petty  despot,  was  lacking  to  the  history  of  this  man ;  and  when, 
after  the  fall  of  General  Jackson,  Winchester  was  recaptured 
by  his  corps  under  General  Ewell,  Milroy  crowned  his  infamy  by 
running  away  from  his  command  through  by-roads,  leaving  them 
without  a  leader  in  the  clutches  of  the  avenging  patriots.  The 
story  of  the  wrongs  of  the  people  now  stirred  the  depths  of 
Jackson's  heart.  His  estimate  of  the  value  of  the  district  to 
the  Confederacy  was  revived  by  his  grief  and  indignation,  and 
he  exerted  all  his  influence  with  the  Commander-in- Chief,  to  have 
an  army  sent  for  its  deliverance.  His  constant  judgment  was 
still,  that  a  force  stationed  in  the  lower  Valley,  and  subsisted 
from  the  resources  of  the  country,  would  render  a  service  more 
efficient  than  the  same  numbers  could  render  elsewhere,  by  pre 
serving  the  riches  of  the  country  to  the  Confederacy,  and  by 
making  a  threatening  diversion,  which  would  embarrass  any 
invasion  of  northern  Virginia.  He  declared  that  the  country 
would  still  sustain  twenty  thousand  men,  who  should  be  sent 
there  under  an  energetic  leader,  and  he  proposed  General  Early 
for  the  post.  But  General  Lee  did  not  deem  that  he  had  men 
to  spare  for  the  detachment ;  although  the  difficulty  of  provision 
ing  his  army  in  Spottsylvania  did  induce  him,  later  in  the  season, 


JACKSON   IN   QUARTERS.  637 

to  send  General  Longstreet,  with  a  part  of  his  corps,  to  south 
eastern  Virginia  j  where  they  were  detained  until  after  the  battle 
of  Chancellorsville,  without  other  result  than  some  successful 
foraging. 

While  General  Jackson  was  himself  the  commander  in  the 
Valley  District,  his  modesty  and  disinterestedness  had  prevented 
his  asking  for  larger  powers,  although  he  had  felt,  in  the  cam 
paign  of  1862,  the  cruel  inconvenience  of  his  subordination  to  a 
distant  commander,  who  was  necessarily  ignorant  of  much  which 
should  guide  his  action  there.  But  now,  in  asking  that  another 
should  command  there,  he  urged  that  the  country  should  be  ele 
vated  to  an  independent  Military  Department,  with  its  own  Gen 
eral,  who  should  receive  his  orders  directly  from  the  supreme 
power.  He  strenuously  declared  that  he  did  not  desire  to  be 
again  detachecJ  for  that  service,  but  every  way  preferred  a  subor 
dinate  command,  near  General  Lee's  person. 

Indeed,  it  was  manifest  that  his  happiness  was  greatly  in 
creased  by  the  removal  of  the  load  of  separate  responsibility, 
and  administrative  cares,  which  his  present  position  gained  for 
him.  His  companions  in  arms  noted  in  him  a  considerable  and 
pleasing  change..  The  brow  of  care  was  more  frequently  re 
laxed  ;  his  warm  social  impulses'  were  more  freely  indulged ;  and 
his  meals,  which  had  been  usually  despatched  in  haste  and  silence, 
became  now  seasons  of  cheerful  relaxation,  in  which  he  was  a 
quiet  and  unobtrusive,  but  joyous  participant.  Especially  did  he 
unbend,  when  visited  after  the  hours  of  business,  by  his  valued 
comrade  in  arms,  General  Stuart.  In  patriotism,  in  zeal  for 
duty,  in  daring  courage,  and  in  military  enterprise,  these  two 
men  were  kindred  and  sympathetic  spirits ;  but  in  temperament, 
Stuart's  exuberant  cheerfulness  and  humor  seemed  to  be  the 
happy  relief,  as  they  were  the  opposites  to  Jackson's  serious  and 
diffident  temper.  To  Jackson  himself,  it  was  a  pleasure  to  hare 


638  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

his   sobriety  thawed  by  the  gay  laugh  and  jest  of  the  great 
cavalier ;  while  his  occasional  visits  to  the  mess  were  the  signals 
of  high  fan  to  the  young  men  of  the  Staff.     While  Stuart  poured 
out  his  "  quips  and  cranks/'  not  seldom  at  Jackson's  expense,  the 
latter  sat  by;  sometimes  unprepared  with  any  repartee,  sometimes 
blushing,  but  always  enjoying  the  jest  with  a  quiet  and  sunny 
laugh.     The  ornaments  which  the  former  proprietor  of  Moss 
Neck  had  left  upon  the  walls  of  the  General's  quarters,  gave 
Stuart  many  a  topic  for  badinage.     Affecting  to  believe  that 
they  were  of  General  Jackson's  selection,  he  pointed  now  to  the 
portrait  of  some  famous  racer,  and  now  to  the  print  of  some  dog, 
celebrated   for  his  hunting  feats,  as  queer  revelations   of  the 
private  tastes  of  the  great  Presbyterian.     He,  with  a  quiet  smile, 
only  replied,  that  perhaps  he  had,  in  his  youth,  had  more  to  do 
with  race-horses  than  his  friends  suspected.     He  referred  to  his 
school-boy  days  at  the  forest  home  of  his  uncle,  Cummings  Jack 
son.     It  was  in  the  midst  of  such  a  scene  as  this,  one  day,  that 
dinner  was  announced;  and  the  two  Generals  passed  to  the 
mess-table.     It  so  happened  that  Jackson  had  just  received,  as  a 
present  from  a  patriotic  lady,  some  butter,  upon  the  adornment 
of  which  the  fair  donor  had  exhausted  her  housewife's  skill,  and 
that  the  print  impressed  upon  its  surface  was  a  gallant  cock. 
The  servants,  in  honor  of  General  Stuart's  presence,  had  chosen 
this  to  grace  the  centre  of  the  board.    As  his  eye  fell  upon  it,  he 
paused,  and  with  mock  gravity,  pointed  to  it,  saying :  "  See  there, 
gentlemen !     If  there  is  not  the  crowning  evidence  of  our  host's 
sporting  tastes.     He  even  puts  his  favorite  game-cock  upon  his 
butter ! "     The   dinner  of  course  began  with  inextinguishable 
laughter,  in  which  General  Jackson  joined  with  as  much  enjoy 
ment  as  any. 

His  fame  had  now  become  world- wide ;  and  while  he  attracted 
the   enthusiastic  admiration  of  his  countrymen,  strangers  from 


LITTLE   JANE   CORBIN.  639 

Europe  made  pilgrimages  to  the  army  to  gain  a  view  of  the 
great  soldier.  They  found  him,  not  the  bizarre  and  austere  hero 
he  had  been  described  by  popular  fancy,  but  the  modest,  courte 
ous  gentleman,  who  offered  the  scanty  hospitality  of  his  quarters, 
and  cared  for  their  comfort  with  an  almost  feminine  tenderness. 
His  domestic  tastes  _soon  began  to  seek  their  solace  among  the 
children  of  the  family  near  by ;  and  he  selected  one,  a  sweet  girl 
of  six  years,  Jane  Corbin,  as  his  especial  favorite.  He  requested 
of  her  mother  that  she  should  visit  him  every  afternoon,  after  the 
labors  of  -the  day  were  finished ;  and  he  always  provided  him 
self  with  some  present,  suitable  for  her  child's  taste,  which  he 
laid  away  in  his  drawer :  an  apple,  an  orange,  a  bundle  of  candy, 
or  a  gay  print.  Sometimes  the  interview  was  passed  with  his 
little  friend  sitting  upon  his  knee,  engaged  in  eager  converse; 
while  at  others,  the  noises  which  proceeded  from  the  office  showed 
that  they  were  indulging  in  a  good,  hearty  romp  together.  One 
evening,  when  she  came,  he  had  no  gift  for  her.  At  the  close  of 
their  play,  his  eye  fell  upon  a  new  cap,  which  Mrs.  Jackson  had 
lately  sent  him,  which  was  far  plainer  than  that  appropriate  to  a 
Lieutenant-General :  but  which  still  was  encircled  with  one  band 
of  broad  gold  braid.  Taking  his  penknife,  he  ripped  this  off, 
and  saying  to  the  child,  "  This  shall  be  your  coronet,"  fastened  it 
with  his  own  hand  around  her  fair  locks;  and  then  stood  'con 
templating  her  with  delight.  A  letter  to  his  wife  contains  the 
following  reference  to  it : 

"  I  became  so  much  ashamed  of  the  broad  gold  lace  that  was 
on  the  cap  you  sent  me,  as  to  induce  me  to  take  it  off.  I  like 
simplicity."  This  gift,  the  reader  will  say,  Jane  Corbin  doubt 
less  preserved  with  jealous  care,  to  .be  the  most  cherished  orna 
ment  of  her  womanhood.  Alas!  no.  The  sweet  child  was 
destined  to  precede  her  hero-friend  to  that  world  where  they 
both  wear  a  purer  crown;  and  the  sad  mother,  now  also  a 


640  LIFE    OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

soldier's  widow,  guards  it  as  the  memorial  of  her  bereavement. 
The  very  day  General  Jackson  left  Moss  Neck  to  prepare  for 
the  spring  campaign,  little  Jane  was  seized  with  that  fearful 
scourge  of  the  innocents,  scarlet  fever,  and  expired  after  a  sick 
ness  of  a  day.  The  General  felt  her  loss  with  a  pungent  grief; 
but  the  sterner  cares  of  the  army  forbade  his  expending  time  in 
the  indulgence  of  sorrow.  He  left  his  quarters  for  the  last  time, 
cumbered  with  the  thousand  wants  of  his  great  command,  while 
the  child  lay  dying.  His  sympathy  with  the  bereaved  parents 
was  also  quickened  by  his  own  parental  anxieties.  It  was  about 
this  time  that  his  letters  brought  him  news  that  his  own  infant 
daughter,  whose  face  he  had  never  seen,  was  ill  with  a  threatening 
disease.  He  stated  the  accounts  of  its  symptoms  to  his  friend,  Dr. 
M'Guire,  in  whose  medical  wisdom  he  so  confided,  and  asked  his 
advice,  that  he  might  write  it  to  his  wife.  As  he  closed  his 
inquiries,  he  said,  with  a  voice  quivering  with  emotion,  "  I  do 
wish  that  dear  child,  if  it  is  God's  will,  to  be  spared  to  us." 
This  prayer  was  answered ;  and  the  witnessing  of  its  smiles  was 
the  last  earthly  joy  which  was  assigned  to  him,  as  he  finished  his 
course. 

The  winter  at  Moss  Neck  was  also  marked  by  a  farther 
increase  of  General  Jackson's  spirituality  and  Christian  activity. 
Like  the  planet  approaching  its  central  sun,  his  soul  moved  with 
accelerated  speed  toward  the  Sun  of  righteousness.  As  he  drew 
nearer  to  the  centre  of  his  divine  attraction,  his  spiritual  joy 
became  yet  more  abundant.  While  his  modesty  was  undimin- 
ished,  his  plans  of  exertion  for  the  Church  of  God  became  more 
bold  and  comprehensive.  His  enjoyment  of  the  Sabbath  Day 
became  higher  than  ever;  and  every  source  of  happiness  was 
traced  up  more  gratefully  to  the  heavenly  Giver.  A  few  extracts 
from  his  letters  to  his  wife  are  introduced  here,  evincing  the 
glowing  piety  of  his  affections :  — 


CORRESPONDENCE.  641 

0 

"  Our  ever  gracious  heavenly  Father  is  exceedingly  kind  to 
me,  and  strikingly  manifests  it  by  the  kindness  with  which  He 
disposes  people  to  treat  me."  (Then  mentioning  a  number 
of  presents.)  "And  so  God,  my  exceeding  great  Joy,  is  contin 
ually  showering  His  blessings  upon  me,  an  unworthy  creature. 

"I  hope  to  have  the  privilege  of  joining  in  prayer  for  peace  at 
the  tim<f  you  name,  and  hope  that  all  our  Christian  people  will ; 
but  peace  should  not  be  the  chief  object  of  prayer  in  our  country. 
It  should  aim  more  specially  at  imploring  God's  forgiveness  of 
our  sins,  and  praying  that  He  will  make  our  people  a  holy  people. 
If  we  are  but  his,  all  things  shall  work  together  for  the  good  of 
our  country,  and  no  good  thing  will  He  withhold  from  it."  .... 
"  If  I  know  my  unworthy  self,  my  desire  is  to  live  entirely  and 
unreservedly  to  Gods  glory.  Pray  that  I  may  so  live." 

January  17th,  1863.  "I  derive  an  additional  pleasure  in 
reading  a  letter*  resulting  from  a  conviction  that  it  has  not  been 
travelling  on  the  Sabbath.  How  delightful  will  be  our  heavenly 
home,  where  everything  is  sanctified ! " 

January  22nd.  "I  regret  to  see  our  Winchester  friends  again 
in  the  hands  of  the  enemy.  I  trust  that,  in  answer  to  prayer, 
our  country  will  soon  be  blessed  with  peace.  If  we  were  only 
that  obedient  people  that  we  should  be,  I  should,  with  increased 
confidence,  look  for  a  speedy  termination  of  hostilities.  Let  us 
pray  more,  and  live  more  to  the  glory  of  God." 

"  Our  heavenly  Father  is  continually  blessing  me  with  presents. 
He  withholds  no  good  thing  from  me.  I  desire  to  be  more  thank 
ful,  and  trust  that  through  His  blessing  I  shall  grow  in  grace." 

February  3d.  "I  trust,  that  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of 
Gods  people,  He  will  soon  give  us  peace.  I  haven't  seen  my 
wife  for  nearly  a  year,  and  my  home  for  nearly  two  years ;  and 
I  never  have  seen  my  sweet  little  daughter."  .  .  .  .  "  My  old 
brigade  has  built  a  log  church ;  as  yet  I  have  not  been  in  it.  I 

81 


642  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

am  much  interested  in  reading  Hunter's  l  Life  of  Moses.'  It  is 
a  delightful  book;  and  I  feel  more  improved  in  reading  it  than 
by  an  ordinary  sermon.  I  am  thankful  to  say  that  my  Sabbaths 
are  passed  more  in  meditation  than  formerly.  Time  thus  spent 
is  genuine  enjoyment." 

Writing  of  some  presents  from  London,  he  says :  "  Our  ever 
kind  heavenly  Father  gives  me  friends  among  strangers.  •  He  is 
the  source  of  every  blessing,  and  I  desire  to  be  more  grateful  to 
Him." 

"  To-morrow  is  the  Sabbath.  My  Sabbaths  are  looked  for 
ward  to  with  pleasure.  I  don't  know  that  I  ever  enjoyed  Sab 
baths  as  I  do  this  winter.  I  do  hope,  trust,  and  pray,  that  our 
people  will  religiously  observe  the  27th  day  of  next  month  as  a 
day  of  humiliation,  prayer,  and  fasting,  as  the  President  has 
designated  in  his  proclamation." 

General  Jackson,  hoping,  in  common  with  many  of  his  fellow- 
citizens,  that  the  victories  which  God  had  vouchsafed  to  the  Confed 
erate  arms  in  the  year  1862,  would  convince  the  Federal  people 
of  the  wickedness  and  unreasonable  nature  of  their  war,  indulged 
some  expectation  that  peace  was  not  far  off.  It  was  his  earnest  de 
sire,  that  when  the  people  of  the  Confederate  States  then  proceeded 
to  adjust  the  working  of  their  institutions,  they  should  recognize 
the  rights  of  God  more  distinctly,  and  that  the  Christian  Church 
should  put  forth  more  saving  power  in  society.  One  subject  of 
his  pious  solicitude  was,  the  laws  of  Congress  which  required  the 
carrying  and  opening  of  the  mails  on  the  Sabbath ;  thus,  not  only 
permitting,  but  exacting,  of  a  class  of  the  citizens,  the  profaning 
of  the  day  by  secular  labor.  He  had  ever  been  accustomed  to 
cherish  a  peculiar  reverence  for  the  Sabbath  Day;  and  hearing 
that  the  propriety  of  this  anti- Christian  legislation  was  discussed 
in  Congress,  he  exerted  every  lawful  influence  to  bring  about  its 
repeal.  To  his  friend,  Hon.  Mr.  Botelcr,  he  wrote  as  follows :— < 


HIS  LETTERS  .AGAINST   SABBATH  MAILS.  613 

"DECEMBER  10,  1862. 
»•  MY  DEAR  COLONEL  : 

"  I  have  read  with  great  interest  the  Congressional  Eeport  of 
the  Committee;  recommending  the  repeal  of  the  law  requiring 
the  mails  to  be  carried  on  the  Sabbath  ,*  and  I  hope  that  you  will 
feel  it  a  duty,  as  well  as  a  pleasure,  to  urge  its  repeal.  I  do  not 
see  how  a  nation  that  thus  arrays  itself,  by  such  a  law,  against 
God's  holy  day,  can  expect  to  escape  His  wrath.  The  punish 
ment  of  national  sins  must  be  confined  to  this  world,  as  there  are 
no  nationalities  beyond  the  grave.  For  fifteen  years  I  have 
refused  to  mail  letters  on  Sunday,  or  to  take  them  out  of  the 
office  on  that  day,  except  since  I  came  into  the  field ;  and,  so  far 
from  having  to  regret  my  course,  it  has  been  a  source  of  true 
enjoyment.  I  have  never  sustained  loss  in  observing  what  God 
enjoins ;  and  I  am  well  satisfied  that  the  law  should  be  repealed 
at  the  earliest  practicable  moment.  My  rule  is,  to  let  the  Sab 
bath  mails  remain  unopened,  unless  they  contain  a  despatch ;  but 
despatches  are  generally  sent  by  couriers  or  telegraph,  or  some 
special  messenger.  I  do  not  recollect  a  single  instance  of  any 
special  despatch  having  reached  me,  since  the  commencement  of 
the  war,  by  the  mails. 

"  If  you  desire  the  repeal  of  the  law,  I  trust  you  will  bring  all 
your  influence  to  bear  in  its  accomplishment.  Now  is  the  time, 
it  appears  to  me,  to  effect  so  desirable  an  object.  I  understand 
that  not  only  our  President,  but  also  most  of  his  Cabinet,  and  a 
majority  of  our  Congressmen,  are  professing  Christians.  God 
has  greatly  blessed  us,  and  I  trust  He  will  make  us  that  people 
whose  God  is  the  Lord.  Let  us  look  to  God  for  an  illustration 
in  our  history,  that  '  righteousness  exalteth  a  nation,  but  sin  is  a 
reproach  to  any  people.'  .... 

"  Very  truly,  your  friend, 

"T.  J.  JACKSON." 


644  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Similar  letters  were  also  written  to  others,  engaging  their 
assistance  to  further  the  repeal  of  the  law.  To  his  friend,  Colo 
nel  Preston,  of  Lexington,  an  elder  of  his  church,  he  wrote  to  the 
same  effect,  seeking  to  enlist  his  pen ;  and  afterward  to  secure, 
through  him,  the  weight  of  the  General  Assemby  of  the  Presby 
terian  Church,  at  its  approaching  meeting.  To  Colonel  Preston 
he  wrote  thus :  — 

"  I  greatly  desire  to  see  peace,  —  blessed  peace.  And  I  am 
persuaded,  that  if  God's  people  throughout  our  Confederacy  will 
earnestly  and  perseveringly  unite  in  imploring  His  interposition 
for  peace,  we  may  expect  it.  Let  our  Government  acknowledge 
the  God  of  the  Bible  as  its  God,  and  we  may  expect  soon  to  be 
a  happy  and  independent  people.  It  appears  to  me  that  ex 
tremes  are  to  be  avoided ;  and  it  also  appears  to  me  that  the  old 
United  States  occupied  an  extreme  position  in  the  means  it  took 
to  prevent  the  union  of  Church  and  State.  We  call  ourselves  a 
Christian  people ;  and  it  seems  to  me  that  our  Government  may 
be  of  the  same  character,  without  connecting  itself  with  an  estab 
lished  Church.  It  does  appear  to  me  that  as  our  President,  our 
Congress,  and  our  people  have  thanked  God  for  victories,  and 
prayed  to  Him  for  additional  ones,  and  He  has  answered  such 
prayers,  and  gives  us  a  Government,  it  is  gross  ingratitude  not 
to  acknowledge  Him  in  the  gift.  Let  the  framework  of  our  Gov 
ernment  show  that  we  are  not  ungrateful  to  Him." 

But  the  great  work  which  most  engrossed  his  heart  was  the 
spiritual  improvement  of  the  army,  and  especially  of  his  corps. 
His  soul  had  rejoiced,  with  unspeakable  gladness,  at  the  incipient 
showers  of  Divine  grace  which  began  to  descend  during  the 
autumn.  He  had  from  the  first  lamented  the  destitutions  of  the 
army,  where  more  than  half  the  regiments  were  without  chap 
lains,  and  the  inefficiency  of  those  who  were  present.  He  saw 
them  laboring  without  plan  and  concert,  and  therefore  without 


LETTER  OX  CHAPLAINS'  LABORS.  645 

efficiency.  He  saw  them  leaving  their  charges  in  the  midst  of 
hardships  and  dangers,  upon  unnecessary  grounds ;  thus  uncon 
sciously  fostering  the  feeling  of  the  unbelieving  many,  that  the 
spiritual  officer  was  less  essential  to  the  regiment  than  the  secu 
lar  ;  and  so,  inviting  indifference  to  their  labors  when  they  were 
present.  He  was  accustomed  to  say,  that  if  an  ecclesiastical 
organization  and  control  for  clergymen  had  been  found  necessary 
in  civil  life,  they  should  equally  be  applied  to  these  military  pas 
tors  ;  and,  again,  that  it  was  as  reasonable  that  they  should  be 
hfid  to  their  duties  by  a  due  subordination,  as  surgeons  or 
captains.  It  had  long  been  his  desire  to  have  some  impulse 
communicated  to  their  labors ;  and  he  now  made  the  following 
suggestions  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  White :  — 

"  CAROLINE  COUNTY,  VIRGINIA,  March  9th,  1863. 
"MY  DEAR  PASTOR: 

"  Your  letter  of  the  5th  inst.,  was  handed  me  yesterday.  I 
am  much  obliged  to  you  for  it,  and  thankful  to  God  and  yourself 
for  the  deep  interest  you  take  in  the  army.  I  feel  that,  if  you 
were  a  young  man,  you  would  delight  to  labor  in  the  army. 
Though  your  health  will  not  admit  of  such  constant  labor,  yet  I 
trust  that  you  will  find  it  convenient  to  come  and  preach  a  few 
sermons.  I  do  not  feel  that  I  can  adequately  express  by  letter, 
the  inducements  that  exist  for  Christian  labor  among  our  troops. 
If  you  could  come  and  spend  a  few  days,  and  see  for  yourself, 
T  believe  that  good  would  be  accomplished,  not  only  by  your 
labors  here,  but  by  the  impressions  which  you  would  carry 
away. 

"  When  I  wrote  the  letter  to  Colonel  Preston,  which  he  showed 
you,  I  had  given  up  the  idea  that  the  Rev.  B.  T.  Lacy  would 
return."  (The  letter  here  referred  to  had  authorized  and 
requested  Colonel  Preston  to  invite  the  Rev.  Dr.  Palmer,  an 
eminent  minister  recently  driven  from  his  pulpit  in  New  Orleans, 


646  LIFE    OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

by  the  enemy,  to  come  to  his  head-quarters,  and  labor  as  a 
missionary  in  his  corps;  promising  to  make  a  contribution  of 
five  hundred  dollars  per  year  to  his  support  out  of  his  private 
purse.)  "  Pie  had  visited  me  soon  after  my  arrival  here ;  and  I 
desired  him  to  labor  in  my  army  corps,  and  expected  him  to 
return  in  about  a  week :  though  not  necessarily  to  accept  a  prop 
osition  which  I  had  made  him :  For  he  told  me  that,  as  he  was  in 
charge  of  a  congregation,  he  could  not  decide  what  his  course 
would  be,  until  he  should  see  more  respecting  his  charge. 
Shortly  after  my  writing  to  Colonel  Preston,  Mr.  Lacy  returned : 
and  I  hope  that  through  God's  blessing,  his  labors  will  be  with 
the  army  until  the  war  terminates 

"  "Whilst  I  hope  to  have  Mr.  L.  in  my  corps,  yet  if  you  think 
that  our  church,  in  making  a  proper  distribution  of  her  minis 
terial  talent  and  piety,  can  send  to  my  corps  another  of  her  gifted 
sons,  I  will  be  greatly  gratified,  and  will  contribute  to  his  sup 
port  as  promised  in  my  letter  to  Colonel  Preston.  And  I  should 
like  very  much  to  have  Dr.  Palmer,  judging  from  what  I  have 
heard  of  him.  But  I  do  not  wish  to  make  invidious  distinctions. 
My  desire  is  to  see  just  such  a  distribution  of  labors  as  will 
most  promote  the  glory  of  God 

"  You  suggest  that  I  give  my  views  and  wishes  in  such  form 
and  extent  as  I  am  willing  should  be  made  public.  This  I  shrink 
from  doing,  because  it  looks  like  presumption  in  me,  to  come 
before  the  public  and  even  intimate  what  course  I  think  should 
be  pursued  by  the  people  of  God.  I  have  had  so  little  experi 
ence  in  church  matters,  as  to  make  it  very  proper,  it  appears  to 
me,  to  keep  quite  beyond  the  expression  of  my  views  to  friends. 
Whilst  I  feel  that  this  is  the  proper  course  for  me  to  pursue,  and 
the  one  which  is  congenial  to  my  feelings,  yet  if  you  and  Colonel 
Preston,  after  prayerful  consultation,  are  of  opinion  that  my 
name,  in  connexion  with  my  wishes,  will  be  the  means  of  doing 


•       HIS   PLAN   OP   ORGANIZATION.  647 

good,  I  do  not  desire  any  sensibility  that  I  may  have  to  be  a 
draw-back  in  the  way  of  doing  good.  I  desire  myself  and  all 
that  I  have  to  be  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God.  So  averse 
am  I  to  appearing  as  though  I  would  like  to  attempt  in  any  way 
publicly  to  suggest  what,  in  my  opinion,  the  church  should  do, 
that  I  do  not  feel  justified  in  consenting  to  my  name  being  used 
as  you  have  suggested,  except  after  prayerful  consultation 
between  yourself  and  Colonel  Preston.  I  take  the  liberty  of 
writing  to  you  and  him  my  views :  both  of  you  have  had  large 
experience  in  the  church,  —  you  have  both  been  known  to  the 
church  for  years,  and  after  maturely  considering  what  I  write, 
you  can  with  propriety  publish,  should  you  think  best,  any  tiling 
that  I  may  have  said  without  saying  that  such  was  my  view. 

"  My  views  are  summed  up  in  a  few  words,  which  are  these : 
Each  Christian  branch  of  the  church  should  send  into  the  army 
some  of  its  most  prominent  ministers,  who  are  distinguished  for 
their  piety,  talents,  and  zeal ;  and  such  ministers  should  labor 
to  produce  concert  of  action  among  chaplains  and  Christians  in 
the  army.  These  ministers  should  give  special  attention  to 
preaching  to  regiments  which  are  without  chaplains,  and  induce 
them  to  take  steps  to  get  chaplains,  to  let  the  regiments  name 
the  denomination  from  which  they  desire  chaplains  selected ;  and 
then  to  see  that  suitable  chaplains  are  secured.  A  bad  selec 
tion  of  a  chaplain  may  prove  a  curse  instead  of  a  blessing.  If 
the  few  prominent  ministers  thus  connected  with  each  army  would 
cordially  co-operate,  I  believe  that  glorious  fruits  would  be  the 
result.  Denominational  distinctions  should  be  kept  out  of  view, 
and  not  touched  upon ;  and  as  a  general  rule,  I  do  not  think  that  a 
chaplain  who  would  preach  denominational  sermons,  should  be  in 
the  army.  His  congregation  is  his  regiment,  and  it  is  composed 
of  persons  of  various  denominations.  I  would  like  to  see  no 
question  asked  in  the  army,  as  to  what  denomination  a  chaplain 


6-18  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

belongs;  but  let  tlie  question  be,  does 'he  preach  the  Gospel? 
The  neglect  of  spiritual  interests  in  the  army  may  be  partially 
seen  in  the  fact  that  not  half  of  my  regiments  have  chaplains." 

On  the  first  of  March,  Rev.  Mr.  Lacy,  a  minister  of  the  Pres 
byterian  church,  came,  on  General  Jackson's  invitation,  to  his 
head-quarters,  to  begin  the  species  of  labors  described  in  the 
above  letter.  The  Government,  after  a  time,  commissioned  him 
as  an  army  chaplain,  without  assigning  him  to  a  particular  regi 
ment  ;  an  exceptional  act  of  courtesy  accorded  to  General  Jack 
son's  high  character  and  express  request.  In  his  letter  to  his 
other  friends,  he  had  modestly  expressed  his  inexperience  of 
ecclesiastical  affairs,  and  his  intention  to  commit  the  details 
of  the  plan  of  evangelical  labors  in  the  army  to  the  advice  of  the 
clergyman,  after  Mr.  Lacy  had  examined  his  ground.  But  the 
scheme  adopted  was  that  which  the  General  had  entertained  in 
his  own  mind  in  the  beginning  of  the  campaign  of  1862,  and 
which,  indeed,  he  had  then  attempted  to  effect.  The  exacting 
nature  of  the  campaign,  and  the  failure  to  enjoy  at  that  time  the 
assistance  upon  which  he  relied  for  its  execution,  had  caused  its 
postponement.  But  it  was  his  design,  which  was  now  in  substance 
resumed.  His  objects  were  three :  to  supply  regiments  destitute 
of  chaplains  with  a  partial  substitute  in  the  shape  of  the  itinerant 
labors  of  efficient  ministers ;  to  supply  a  channel  of  intercourse 
between  the  army  and  the  bodies  of  clergy  of  different  denomina 
tions,  through  which  the  latter  might  learn  the  wants  of  the  former, 
and  to  give  to  the  labors  of  the  chaplains  and  other  ministers  in 
the  army,  the  unity  and  impulse  of  an  ecclesiastical  organization 
within  their  own  peculiar  field.  His  chaplain  was  intended  by 
him  to  be  an  exemplar,  who,  he  hoped,  would  be  followed  by  many 
others  from  among  the  most  efficient  preachers  of  all  churches, 
until  they  should  be  brought  into  vital  sympathy  with  the  army. 


THE   CAMP    CHAPELS.  649 

One  of  the  measures  adopted  was  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  at 
the  head-quarters  of  General  Jackson,  and  under  his  immediate 
countenance,  every  Sabbath,  while  the  troops  were  in  their 
camps.  For  this  end,  a  place  in  the  open  field  was  prepared, 
near  Hamilton's  crossing,  (to  which  General-  Jackson  removed 
his  quarters  soon  after,)  with  rude  seats  and  a  temporary  pulpit, 
where  public  worship  was  held  in  the  open  air.  The  example 
of  so  famous  a  warrior,  always  potent  among  soldiers  when  sus 
tained  by  official  rank,  the  curiosity  to  see  him  and  the  galaxy  of 
celebrities  who  came  to  worship  with  him,  the  eloquence  of  the 
preachers,  and  the  purer  motives  which  the  great  religious 
awakening  now  began  to  propagate  far  and  wide,  soon  drew  a 
vast  congregation  to  this  spot  on  the  Sabbath  days.  From  hun 
dreds  it  grew  to  thousands,  until  the  assemblage  surrounded  the 
preacher  in  a  compact  mass,  as  far  as  his  voice  could  be  dis 
tinctly  heard.  Here,  on  a  bright  Sabbath  in  the  spring,  might 
be  seen  the  stately  head  of  the  Commander-in- Chief,  with  a 
crowd  of  Generals,  whose  names  had  been  borne  by  fame  across 
the  ocean,  and  of  legislators  and  statesmen,  bowed  along  with 
the  multitude  of  private  soldiers,  in  divine  worship ;  while  the 
solemn  and  tender  wave  of  sacred  emotion  subdued  the  great 
and  the  unknown  alike  before  it.  At  these  scenes,  which  were 
so  directly  produced  by  his  instrumentality,  General  Jackson 
was  the  most  unobtrusive  assistant.  Seated  in  some  retired 
spot  amidst  the  private  soldiers,  he  listened  to  the  worship  and 
the  preaching  with  an  edifying  attention,  and  watched  the  power 
of  the  truth  upon  the  great  congregation,  with  a  glow  of  elevated 
and  tender  delight.  Never,  since  the  days  when  Whitefield 
preached  to  the  mingled  crowd  of  peers  and  beggars  in 
Moorfields,  has  the  sky  looked  down  upon  a  more  imposing 
worship. 

Another  enterprise  whicn  marked  the  evangelical  labors  of 

82 


650  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSOX. 

this  winter,  was  the  building  of  temporary  chapels  by  the  men 
for  their  own  worship.  Two  or  three  contiguous  regiments 
usually  concurred  in  the  work.  Tall  trees  were  cut  down,  and 
brought  to  the  spot  by  the  teams  of  the  Quartermasters,  and 
built  into  walls  of  logs.  Chimneys  were  built  of  the  same 
rude  material,  and  plastered  with  clay,  whence  the  huge  fires, 
and  the  torches  of  resinous  pine,  diffused  a  ruddy  glow  of  warmth 
and  light.  The  structure  was  roofed  with  clapboards,  and 
seated  with  rude  benches  formed  from  the  split  bodies  of  trees. 
The  Stonewall  Brigade  was  the  first  to  begin  this  work,  to 
General  Jackson's  great  delight.  No  sooner  had  they  completed 
their  own  huts,  than  they  set  to  work,  and  by  a  multitude  of 
willing  hands,  completed  their  church  in  a  few  days.  The  next 
Sabbath  it  was  formally  .dedicated  to  the  worship  of  God;  and 
during  the  winter,  was  constantly  occupied  in  turn  by  the 
chaplains  of  the  several  regiments.  During  the  week,  frequent 
meetings  for  prayer,  and  bible  classes,  were  held  here  by  torch 
light,  and  the  men  were  encouraged  to  expend  their  leisure  in 
the  study  of  the  scriptures,  and  in  sacred  music,  instead  of 
the  degrading  amusements  of  the  card-table.  As  this  chapel 
was  near  the  quarters  of  General  Jackson,  .he  often  came  to 
worship  in  it  with  his  favorite  brigade.  Instead  of  affecting 
the  chief  seat  in  the  synagogue,  he  delighted  to  sit  among  the 
rough,  weather-beaten  privates,  and  lay  aside  all  official  dignity 
to  accompany  them  to  the  throne  of  grace  on  the  common 
footing  of  worshippers.  Their  reverence  for  his  person  some 
times  led  them  to  leave  a  respectful  distance  between  themselves 
and  the  seat  he  occupied ;  but  he  would  never  consent  that  any 
space  should  be  thus  lost,  where  so  many  were  crowding  to  hear 
the  word.  As  he  saw  them  seeking  seats  elsewhere,  he  was 
accustomed  to  rise,  and  invite  them  by  gesture  to  the  vacancies 
near  him ;  and  was  never  so  well  satisfied  as  when  he  had  an 


THE  CHAPLAINS'  ASSOCIATION.  651 

unkempt  soldier  touching  his  elbow  on  either  hand,  and  all  the 
room  about  him  compactly  filled.  Then  he  was  ready  to 
address  himself  with  his  usual  fixed  attention  to  the  services. 

The  most  important  measure  which  he  introduced  was  the 
weekly  chaplains'  meeting.  This  was  a  temporary  association 
of  all  the  chaplains  and  evangelists  of  his  corps,  who,  on 
meeting,  appointed  one  of  their  own  number  to  preside  as  a 
chairman  or  moderator,  and  another  as  their  secretary,  and 
after  joining  in  public  worship,  proceeded  to  consult  upon  the 
spiritual  interests  of  their  charges,  to  arrange  and  concert  their 
labors,  and  to  devise  means  for  supplying  the  destitutions  of  the 
army.  These  counsels  were  a  true  evangelical  union.  By  a 
common  and  silent  consent,  which  bears  high  testimony  to  the 
cultivation  and  honor  of  these  laborious  men,  all  subjects  of 
sectarian  debate,  were  effectually  excluded,  and  their  delibera 
tions  were  confined  to  the  interests  of  our  common  Christianity. 
But  it  was  also  a  high  evidence  of  the  general  soundness  of 
religious  opinion  in  the  Confederate  States,  that  there  was  not  a 
single  regiment  in  the  army,  which  showed  a  disposition  to 
introduce  a  minister  who  did  not  belong  to  an  evangelical  and 
orthodox  communion,  as  their  chaplain,  except  one  or  two  priests 
of  the  Romish  Church.  On  the  other  hand,  the  office  in  the 
Federal  army  was  as  frequently  filled  by  Universalists,  and  other 
erratic  heretics,  or  by  laymen  who  never  preached,  as  by  regular 
ministers  of  the  gospel. 

General  Jackson  displayed  his  delicate  sense  of  propriety  by 
not  attending  these  weekly  synods  of  his  chaplains  statedly 
himself.  But  he  watched  them  with  lively  interest.  As  soon  as 
his  own  chaplain  returned  from  them,  he  was  accustomed  to  call 
him,  and  say :  "  Now  come  and  report."  He  inquired  into  all 
that  was  said  and  done,  and  all  the  measures  proposed,  for 
evangelizing  his  command.  '  When  he  was  told  of  the  fraternal 


652  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENEKAL   JACKSON. 

love  which  reigned  among  the  chaplains,  of  the  devout  spirit 
manifested  in  their  worship,  and  of  the  news  of  the  ingathering 
of  souls  which  they  brought  from  their  several  charges,  his  eyes 
were  often  filled  with  happy  tears,  and  he  blessed  God  for  the 
grace.  The  stated  meetings  of  the  chaplains  were  the  means  of 
awakening  them  to  a  greatly  increased  zeal  and  fidelity,  as 
well  as  for  adding  system  and  concert  to  their  labors.  So  that 
this  service,  which,  while  adorned  by  the  fidelity  of  a  number  of 
truly  apostolic  men,  had  yet  fallen,  in  general,  into  no  little 
disfavor,  was  now  thoroughly  renovated.  Thus  the  energy  of 
General  Jackson's  will,  though  so  modestly  exerted,  made  itself 
felt  among  his  chaplains,  just  as  among  his  staff  and  field  officers, 
in  communicating  efficiency  and  vigor  to  all  their  performance  of 
duty.  It  was  remarked  of  him,  that  while  no  General  o'fficer 
had  so  unpretending  a  Staff,  none  other  was  so  efficient  as  his. 
This  was  due  not  so  much  to  the  character  of  the  men  who 
constituted  it,  as  to  the  force  of  his  own  example  and  energy,  in 
inspiring  the  spirit  of  endeavor,  among  all  who  were  subject  to 
his  authority. 

The  weekly  meetings  of  the  chaplains  effected  more  good  than 
he  had  hoped  from  them ;  for  he  had  warned  others  not  to  anti 
cipate  too  much.  Hence,  when  he  found  that  his  plans  were  bear 
ing  so  much  fruit,  he  was  filled  with  delight.  One  of  the  benefits  of 
the  movement  was  the  bringing  of  the  ministers  in  the  army  into 
closer  connexion  with  his  person.  His  own  chaplain  was  a  bond 
of  union  also  between  himself  and  the  others,  through  which  they 
were  encouraged  to  visit  his  quarters  more  unreservedly,  and  to 
know  and  love  him,  not  as  a  commander  only,  but  also  as  a 
Christian.  To  every  worthy  preacher  of  the  gospel  his  manner 
was  full  of  warmth  and  tenderness,  showing  that  he  esteemed 
them  very  highly  in  love  for  their  work's  sake.  Everything  was 
done  with  a  thoughtful  affection,  to-  facilitate  their  labors,  and 


JACKSON  EXACTS  FIDELITY   OF   CHAPLAINS.  653 

provide  for  their  comforts.  His  contributions  from  his  private 
purse  were  also  large,  to  provide  them  with  means  for  supplying 
their  charges  with  Bibles  and  religious  reading.  The  Govern 
ment  had  never  made  any  provision  for  the  support  of  the  chap 
lains  in  their  work,  other  than  a  very  inadequate  salary.  The 
General  now  applied  to  the  Military  Committee  of  Congress,  to 
bring  in  a  law  enabling  Quartermasters  to  provide  chaplains, 
like  other  officers,  with  tents,  fuel,  and  forage  for  horses.  This 
just  measure  was  indeed  neglected  amidst  the  hurry  of  the  clos 
ing  session,  but  was  finally  adopted  by  a  subsequent  Congress. 

General  Jackson,  in  his  intercourse  with  his  chaplains,  often 
inculcated  their  obligation  "  to  endure  hardness,  as  good  soldiers 
of  Jesus  Christ,"  to  live  with  their  regiments,  and  acquire  thci? 
confidence  by  sharing  their  exposures,  and  to  cleave  to  their 
work  amidst  all  the  pains  and  crosses  which  the  common  soldiers 
were  compelled  by  the  law  of  their  country  to  endure.  He  said 
that  a  chaplain  should  not  think  of  resigning  his  post  for  any 
less  cause  than  would  justify  a  field-officer  in  laying  down  his 
commission;  and  that  they  should  no  more  think  than  he,  of 
leaving  his  regiment  without  a  regular  furlough,  founded  upon 
just  cause.  To  do  so,  he  argued,  taught  the  men  by  a  practical 
lesson,  that  the  soul  was  less  important  than  the  body,  and  that 
secular  duties  were  more  urgent  than  the  business  of  redemp 
tion. 

When  with  chaplains  whom  he  esteemed  like-minded,  General 
Jackson  was  very  sure  to  turn  all  conversation  speedily  into  a 
spiritual  channel.  With  intimate  Christian  friends,  the  things 
of  God  were  almost  his  exclusive  topics  in  private.  His  favorite 
subjects  now  were,  the  importance  of  an  unshaken  faith ;  of  casting 
all  our  care  upon  God  in  the  diligent  performance  of  duty ;  and 
of  the  evidences  of  the  Divine  faithfulness  in  the  course  of  Provi 
dence  and  redemption.  He  spoke  emphatically  of  the  duty  of 


654  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

conforming  our  wills  to  God's,  and  of  a  thoroughly  cheerful 
acquiescence  whenever  His  will  was  manifested.  He  was  often 
delighted  to  speculate  upon  the  modes  in  which  the  Divine  will 
might  be  safely  ascertained.  His  favorite  maxim  was:  "Duty 
is  ours :  consequences  are  God's."  He  spoke  much  also  of  the 
blessedness  of  a  full  and  hearty  obedience,  in  its  effects  upon 
the  Christian's  own  happiness.  He  often  declared  that  it  was  his 
first  desire  to  command  a  "  converted  army."  This,  he  believed, 
enjoying  the  spiritual  favor  of  God  upon  their  individual  souls, 
engaged  in  a  just  cause,  and  undertaking  every  enterprise  with 
prayer,  must  meet  with  success ;  and  prove,  in  the  end,  invincible. 
He  spoke  frequently  also  of  the  connexion  between  national 
obedience  and  public  prosperity;  declaring  that  it  is  holiness 
which  exalteth  a  people ;  and  showing  the  supreme  importance 
of  the  Government's  at  least  refraining  from  placing  itself,  in 
any  way,  in  opposition  to  God's  laws  and  institutions.  Hence 
his  zeal  for  the  outward  and  spiritual  observance  of  the  Sabbath, 
which  has  been  noted. 

One  more  favorite  project  remains  to  be  mentioned,  in"  which 
about  this  time,  he  sought  to  interest  those  who  met  him.  This 
was  the  establishment  of  a  Christian  Daily  Newspaper,  which 
should  honor  God  by  refraining  from  all  Sabbath  work.  He 
argued  that  their  issue  of  Monday  should  contain  nothing  printed 
after  Saturday  evening;  and  that  Christians  should  be  willing  to 
receive  their  news  later  by  one  day,  once  during  the  week,  in 
order  to  honor  God's  law.  If  this  delay  should  diminish  the 
circulation  of  such  a  journal,  and  make  it  less  remunerative  than 
others ;  he  declared  that  he  was  willing  to  repay  a  part  of  this 
loss  out  of  his  own  means. 

As  soon  as  his  quarters  were  established  at  Hamilton's  Cross 
ing,  he  began  the  custom  of  regular  domestic  worship  in  his 
mess,  each  morning.  These  services  were  willingly  attended  by 


LETTERS. 


655 


all  liis  staff,  out  of  respect  for  his  Christian  character,  or  from 
their  own  interest  in  them.  He,  who  was  of  all  men  least 
obtrusive  in  his  religion,  carefully  forbore  from  commanding  their 
attendance,  although  his  beaming  face  indicated  plainly  enough 
the  pleasure  he  felt  in  seeing  them  present.  Whenever  his  chap 
lain  was  not  there,  he  always  conducted  these  services  himself, 
with  his  customary  unction  and  humility.  On  Wednesday  and 
Sunday  nights,  there  was  also  a  prayer  meeting  observed  at  his 
quarters,  where  he  was  always  a  worshipper,  and  led  the  devo 
tions  of  his  brethren,  when  desired  to  do  so  by  a  minister.  A 
few  of  the  young  men  upon  his  Staff  had  cultivated  the  delightful 
art  of  sacred  music.  On  the  afternoon  of  the  Sabbaths,  when 
the  necessary  business,  which  he  always  reduced  within  the  nar 
rowest  limits,  was  despatched,  it  was  his  favorite  occupation  to 
have  singing;  and  frequently,  as  the  little  choir  was  conclud 
ing,  he  said ;  "  Now  let  us  have  the  hymn ;" 

"How  happy  are  they 
"Who  their  Saviour  obey." 

On  every  intelligent  Christian  who  approached  him  at  this  time, 
he  made  the  impression  of  the  most  eminent  sanctity.  They  all 
left  him  with  this  testimony :  that  he  was  the  holiest  man  they 
had  ever  seen. 

The  following  extracts  from  letters  to  Mrs.  Jackson  may  be 
introduced  here. 

'•MARCH  14th,  1863. 

"On  next  Monday  there  is  to  be  a  meeting  of  the  chaplains  of 
my  corps,  and  I  pray  that  good  may  result  from  the  meeting. 

"  The  time  has  about  come  for  campaigning,  and  I  hope  early 
next  week  to  leave  my  room  and  go  into  a  tent  near  Hamilton's 
crossing,  which  is  on  the  railroad,  about  five  miles  from  Freder- 


656  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

icksburg.  It  is  rather  a  relief  to  get  where  there  will  be  less 
comfort  than  in  a  room ;  as  I  hope  thereby  persons  will  be  pre 
vented  from  encroaching  so  much  on  my  time.  I  am  greatly 
behind  with  my  reports,  and  am  very  desirous  of  getting  through 
with  them  before  another  campaign  commences." 

"APRIL  10th. 

"  I  trust  that  God  is  going  to  bless  us  with  great  success,  and 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  show  that  it  is  all  His  gift ;  and  I  trust 
and  pray  that  it  will  lead  our  country  to  acknowledge  Him,  and 
to  live  in  accordance  with  His  will  as  revealed  in  the  Bible. 
There  appears  to  be  an  increased  religious  interest  among  our 
troops  here.  Our  chaplains  have  weekly  meetings,  on  Tuesdays  : 
and  the  one  of  this  week  was  more  charming  than  the  preceding 
one,"  -&c. 

The  effort  thus  begun  in  General  Jackson's  corps,  was  imitated 
in  the  others.  The  movement  was  not  limited  to  the  army  of 
Virginia:  but  was  also  propagated  in  the  South  and  West. 
Soon  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  the 
other  ecclesiastical  authorities,  encouraged  by  the  advice  which 
the  friends  of  General  Jackson  were  permitted  to  quote  from 
him,  began  to  take  action  on  behalf  of  the  army ;  and  a  number 
of  the  most  distinguished  ministers  were  sent  to  the  different 
corps  to  labor  with  the  chaplains  as  itinerants,  and  to  communi 
cate  the  wants  of  the  army  to  the  churches.  The  speedy  fall  of 
the  originator  of  the  work  rather  gave  new  impetus  to  it,  than 
retarded  it ;  and  the  result  was,  that  general  revival  of  religion 
in  the  Confederate  armies,  which  has  been  even  more  astonishing 
to  the  world,  than  the  herculean  exertions  of  the  Confederate 
States.  A  wide-spread  reform  of  morals  was  wrought,  which  was 
obvious  to  every  spectator,  in  the  repression  of  profanity  and 
drunkenness,  the  increase  of  order  and  discipline,  and  the  good 


NEW   CAMPAIGN   OPENS>  657 

conduct  of  the  troops  in  battle.  It  was  just  those  commands  in 
which  this  work  of  grace  was  most  powerful,  that  became  the 
most  trustworthy  in  the  post  of  danger.  The  brigade  of  Barks- 
dale,  for  instance,  which  had  held  its  ground  in  Fredericksburg 
with  almost  incredible  resolution  under  the  great  bombardment, 
was  equally  noted  for  its  religious  zeal.  Returning  to  their  post 
of  honor  in  the  city,  they  occupied  one  of  the  deserted  churches 
as  their  chapel,  and  maintained  a  constant  series  of  nightly  meet 
ings,  attended  by  numerous  conversions,  for  many  weeks'.  In 
short,  the  conversions  in  the  various  Confederate  armies  within 
the  ensuing  year,  were  counted,  by  the  most  sober  estimate,  at 
twelve  thousand  men.  The  strange  spectacle  was  now  pre 
sented,  of  a  people  among  whom  the  active  religious  life  seemed 
to  be  transferred  from  the  churches  at  home  —  the  customary 
seats  of  piety  —  to  the  army ;  which,  among  other  nations,  has 
always  been  dreaded  as  the  school  of  vice  and  infidelity.  Thus, 
the  grief  and  fears  of  the  good,  lest  this  gigantic  war  should 
arrest  the  religious  training  of  the  whole  youth  of  the  land,  cut 
off  the  supply  of  young  preachers  for  its  pulpits,  and  rear  up 
for  the  country  a  generation  of  men  profane  and  unchristian, 
were  happily  consoled;  they  accepted  this  new  marvel,  of  an 
army  made  the  home  and  source  of  the  religious  life  of  a  nation, 
with  grateful  joy,  as  another  evidence  of  the  favor  of  God  to  the 
afflicted  people. 

The  reader  has  seen  an  allusion  of  General  Jackson's  letter, 
to  the  brigK  hopes  which  he  entertained  of  a  prosperous  cam 
paign.  By  his  diligence  during  the  winter,  his  corps  had  been 
brought  to  such  numbers  and  efficiency  as  it  had  never  reached 
before.  It  now  contained  more  than  thirty  thousand  fighting 
men;  and  it  was  animated  by  a  towering  spirit  of  determina 
tion  and  confidence.  It  was  soon  after  his  removal  to  Hamil 
ton's  Crossing,  that  a  member  of  his  Staff,  alluding  to  the 

83 


658  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

reported  vast  preparations  of  the  enemy,  described  to  him  the 
temper  of  his  own  men,  and  their  eagerness  for  the  coming 
collision.  As  he  listened,  the  fire  of  battle  kindled  more  and 
more  in  his  face,  until  he  sprung  from  his  seat,  and  exclaimed : 
'•  I  wish  the  enemy  would  come  on !"  Then  raising  his  eyes  rev 
erently,  he  added :  "  My  trust  is  in  God."  Thus  his  spirit  was 
girding  itself  for  the  coming  struggle,  with  faith  and  prayer. 
The  collision  which  was  approaching  promised  indeed  to  be  one 
which  might  well  have  made  the  heart  stand  still  with  awe. 
Hooker  was  again  recruiting  his  monstrous  army  to  its  former 
numbers,  and  was  preparing  every  means  for  a  new  advance  on 
Richmond.  The  precursor  of  the  new  campaign  was  an  irrup 
tion  of  three  thousand  Federal  cavalry  across  Kelly's  Ford  into 
the  county  of  Culpepper.  The  design  of  their  General,  Averill, 
was  to  reach  the  Central  Railroad,  ascertain  something  of  the 
positions  and  numbers  of  the  Confederates,  and  break  up  their 
line  of  supplies  toward  Gordonsville.  But  General  Stuart  met 
him  near  Kelly's  Ford  with  eight  hundred  men  of  the  brigade  of 
Fitzllugh  Lee,  and  after  a  stubbornly-contested  combat  drove 
him  back  across  the  Rappahannock. 

The  season  of  quiet  was  happily  closed  for  General  Jackson 
by  a  visit  from  his  wife  and  daughter.  Having  secured  lodgings 
for  them  at  the  neighboring  country-seat  of  a  gentleman,  near 
Hamilton's  Crossing,  he  yielded  at  length  to  Mrs.  Jackson's 
solicitations,  and  to  his  own  affection,  and  about  the  middle  of 
April  met  them  at  the  railroad  station.  The  arrival  of  the  mail- 
train  from  Richmond  was  the  signal,  every  day,  for  the  assem 
blage  of  a  great  crowd  of  officers  and  soldiers  off  duty,  around 
the  place.  In  the  midst  of  these  the  General  came  forward 
to  the  doors  of  the  cars,  to  receive  his  expected  treasures. 

"  The  infant,  refreshed  by  long  slumber,  had  just  awakened, 
and  looked  up  at  him  with  a  countenance  very  fresh  and  bright. 


VISIT  FROM   MRS.   JACKSON.  659 

His  first  care,  after  the  accustomed  salutation,  was  to  get  the 
mother  and  child  safely  through  the  crowd  and  rain  into  the  car 
riage  which  was  to  convey  them  to  their  temporary  home. 
Arrived  there,  he  divested  himself  of  his  wet  overcoat,  and  tak 
ing  his  baby  into  his  arms,  caressed  it  with  tender  delight, 
exclaiming  upon  its  beauty  and  size.  Henceforth,  his  chief 
pleasure  was  in  caressing  her,  and  he  was  several  times  seen, 
while  she  was  sleeping,  kneeling  long  over  her  cradle,  watching 
her  with  a  face  beaming  with  admiration  and  happiness." 

This  visit  was  a  source  of  unalloyed  delight  to  him.  His 
first  care  was  to  make  arrangements  for  the  baptism  of  the 
child ;  for  the  uncertainties  of  the  day  warned  him  that  both  the 
parents  might  not  speedily  meet  again  to  concur  in  the  sacred 
rite.  He  therefore  caused  his  chaplain  to  administer  baptism 
to  it  at  the  quarters  of  Mrs.  Jackson,  among  a  small  circle  of 
their  personal  friends.  Such  was  Ms  devotion  to  duty,  that  the 
attractions  of  his  family  made  slight  change  in  his  busy  habits ; 
and  his  time  was  employed  as  strictly  as  ever,  in  the  care  of 
his  command.  After  the  labors  of  the  day  were  completed,  he 
was  accustomed  to  leave  his  tent,  and  dine,  with  one  or  two 
comrades,  with  Mrs.  Jackson,  spending  his  evenings  with  her, 
chiefly  in  joyous  romps  with  little  Julia.  She,  on  her  part,  imme 
diately  formed  the  closest  intimacy  with  her  new  admirer,  and 
learned  to  prefer  his  caresses  to  all  others. 


660  LIFE  OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 


CHAPTER      XIX. 

CHANCELLOESVILLE. 

As  the  time  drew  near  for  that  resumption  of  active  hostil 
ities,  which  General  Jackson  knew  to  be  inevitable,  his  temper 
began  to  rise  in  its  animation  and  resolve,  to  meet  the  crisis. 
He  now  spoke  with  less  reserve  than  before,  to  the  members  of 
his  military  family,  concerning  the  general  principles  which  should 
govern  the  war,  upon  the  Confederate  side.  Speaking  of  the 
coming  campaign,  he  said  with  an  intense  concentration  of  fire 
and  will :  "  We  must  make  it  an  exceedingly  active  one.  Only 
thus  can  a  weaker  country  cope  with  a  stronger ;  it  must  make 
up  in  activity  what  it  lacks  in  strength.  A  defensive  campaign 
can  only  be  made  successful  by  taking  the  aggressive  at  the 
proper  time.  Napoleon  never  waited  for  his  adversary  to 
become  fully  prepared ;  but  struck  him  the  first  blow,  by  virtue 
of  his  superior  activity." 

Early  upon  the  29th  of  April,  he  was  aroused  by  a  message, 
which  said  that  an  officer  was  below  with  something  important 
to  communicate  immediately.  As  he  arose  he  remarked :  "  That 
sounds  as  if  something  stirring  were  afoot."  After  a  few 
moments,  he  returned  and  informed  Mrs.  Jackson,  that  General 
Early,  to  whom  he  had  committed  the  guardianship  of  the  river 
bank,  had  sent  his  adjutant  to  report  that  Hooker  was  crossing 
in  force.  He  said  that  great  events  were  probably  at  hand,  and 
that  he  must  go  immediately  to  verify  the  news  he  had  received ; 


•  TODDSTAV 


ENEMY   CROSS   THE  RIVER.  G61 

that  if  it  were  as  lie  supposed,  and  the  hostilities  were  about  to 
be  resumed  on  a  great  scale,  Mr.  Yerby's  would  be  no  place  for 
a  lady  and  infant ;  and  she  would  be  compelled  to  retire  to 
Richmond.  He  therefore,  requested  •  Mrs.  Jackson  to  make 
immediate  preparations  for  her  journey,  so  that,  if  his  surmises 
proved  true,  she  might  leave  at  a  moment's  warning,  in  the  fore 
noon.  He  promised,  if  it  were  practicable,  to  return  in  person 
and  assist  her  departure,  but  added  that,  as  his  duties  might 
deprive  him  of  the  power  to  do  so,  he  would  say  good-by  now. 
Thus,  after  an  affectionate  leave-taking,  he  hurried  away,  without 
breakfast,  and  she  saw  him  no  more  until  she  returned  to  the 
side  of  his  dying  bed.  Her  heart  was  oppressed  with  gloomy 
forebodings  for  his  safety,  arising  from  her  anticipation  of  the 
desperate  struggle  into  which  she  well  knew,  it  was  his  purpose 
to  plunge,  rather  than  yield  ground  to  his  gigantic  adversary ; 
his  animated  eagerness  seemed  to  leave  him  no  time  for  such 
thoughts  for  self. 

Hurrying  to  his  troops,  he  now  made  it  his  first  business  to 
communicate  the  movements  of  the  enemy  to  the  Commander- 
in- Chief.  The  Aide  whom  he  sent,  found  him  still  in  his  tent ; 
and  in  reply  to  the  message,  he  said,  "  Well,  I  heard  firing ;  and 
I  was  beginning  to  think  it  was  time  some  of  you  lazy  young 
fellows  were  coming,  to  tell  me  what  it  was  all  about.  Say  to 
General  Jackson,  that  he  knows  just  as  well  what  to  do  with  the 
enemy,  as  I  do."  This  answer  indicated  his  high  confidence  in 
his  great  Lieutenant ;  and  the  strain  of  kindly  pleasantry,  habit 
ual  with  Lee,  had  a  happy  influence  in  infusing  into  all  who  came 
near  him,  his  own  composure  and  serene  courage  in  great  emer 
gencies.  When  General  Jackson  joined  his  troops,  he  found  so 
much  demanding  his  oversight,  that  he  did  not  return  to  the  as 
sistance  of  his  wife ;  but  sent  her  brother,  Ms  Aide,  Lieutenant 
Joseph  Morrison,  to  provide  her  with  an  ambulance,  and  escort 


662  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

her  to  Guinea's  Station ;  whence  she  was  to  proceed  by  railroad 
to  Richmond.  This  young  officer,  eager  to  be  in  the  post  of 
danger  with  Ms  chief,  transferred  his  task  to  his  chaplain ;  who 
convoyed  her  to  Guinea's,  and  then  also  hurried  back  to  his 
duties  with  the  army. 

When  General  Jackson  got  his  corps  under  arms,  he  saw  that 
the  Federalists  were  crossing  in  great  force  below  Deep  Run, 
and  entrenching  themselves  at  the  edge  of  the  plateau ;  on  the 
same  ground  occupied  by  Franklin  and  Hooker  at  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg.      He   estimated   their   numbers   at   thirty-five 
thousand  men.     But  he  saw  at  a  glance,  that  there  was,  as  yet, 
no  sufficient  evidence  that  Hooker  was  about  to  provoke  a  seri 
ous  collision  on  the  ground  which  had  been  so  disastrous  to 
Burnside.     That  ground  had  now  been  strengthened  by  a  con- 
tinous  line  of  field-works,  along  the  edge  of  the  plateau  near 
the  Spottsylvania  hills,  and  by  a  second  partial  line  within  the 
verge  of  the  forest.     He  suspected  that  this  crossing  was  the 
feint,  while  the  real  movement  was  made  upon  one  or  the  other 
flank ;  and  he  therefore  awaited  the  reports  of  the  vigilant  Stuart, 
whose  cavalry  pickets  were  stretched  from  Port  Royal  to  the 
higher  course  of  the  Rappahannock.     It  has  already  been  ex 
plained,  that  the  character  of  the  ground,  rendered  an  assault 
upon  the  enemy  near  the  northern  edge  of  the  plain  inexpedient, 
because  of  their  commanding  artillery  upon  the  Stafford  Heights. 
The  Confederate  Generals  were  not  left  long  in  doubt,    Stuart 
soon  reported  appearances  which  indicated  a  passage  of  the 
Rappahannock  by  Hooker  west  of  Fredericksburg.    He  had  now 
restored  the  Federal  army  to  the  same  vast  numbers  which  had 
accompanied  Burnside ;  and  discarding  the  three  grand  divisions 
with  their  commanders,  which  had  afforded  to  him,  when  one  of 
the  three,  so  good  a  pretext  for  insubordination,  had  thrown  his 
forces  into  nine  corps  d'  armee  commanded  by  as  many  generals, 


HOOKER'S  TRUE  PLAN.  6G3 

besides  the  cavalry  division  under  Stoneman.  The  plan  of 
campaign  which  he  now  adopted,  was  a  complicated  one.  He 
proposed  with  three  corps  under  General  Sedgwick,  to  cross 
the  Rappahannock  below  Fredericksbnrg,  and  make  a  demonstra 
tion  sufficiently  formidable  in  appearance,  to  occupy  General 
Lee  there.  Meantime,  the  remainder  of  his  great  army  was  to 
proceed  by  forced  marches  up  the  northern  bank  of  the  Rappa- 
hannock,  screened  from  observation  by  the  forest  country,  and 
an  intervening  line  of  pickets,  to  Kelly's  ford.  There  ho  pro 
posed  to  force  a  passage  into  Culpepper,  and  marching  rapidly  to 
Germanna  and  Ely's  fords,  upon  the  Eapid  Ann,  in  a  southeast 
erly  direction,  to  cross  them  while  the  Confederates  were  amused 
at  Fredericksburg,  establish  himself  in  the  Wilderness  of  Spott- 
sylvania  and  fortify  on  General  Lee's  flank.  If  he  remained  at 
Fredericksburg,  Hooker  persuaded  himself  that  he  would  be 
able,  from  this  new  temporary  base,  to  command  his  communica 
tions  with  Richmond.  If  he  left  Fredericksburg,  to  make  head 
against  this  formidable  threat  upon  his  left  and  rear,  Hooker 
proposed  to  withdraw  the  larger  part  of  his  troops  employed 
in  the  feint  there,  to  bring  them  over  by  the  United  States'  ford, 
which  his  movement  into  the  Wilderness  would  uncover  to  him, 
and  receive  the  attack  of  General  Lee  in  his  entrenched  position. 
While  his  infantry  was  thus  employed,  nearly  all  his  cavalry, 
under  Stoneman,  was  to  cross  the  Rapid  Ann  above  the  army, 
upon  a  grand  raid,  to  penetrate  the  country  across  the  Central 
Railroad,  destroy  it,  pass  down  toward  the  junction  of  the 
Central  and  Fredericksburg  roads,  cut  the  latter,  and  thus  break 
up  all  communication  between  the  Confederates  and  their  Capi 
tal.  The  Federal  Commander  had  persuaded  himself  that  Gen 
eral  Lee  was  laid  aside  by  sickness,  that  all  his  force,  except 
Jackson's  corps,  was  either  absent  with  Longstreet,  or  disaf 
fected  and  scattered,  and  that  with  his  vast  numbers  he  would 


664  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

easily  surround  and  crush  the  remainder,  leaving  no  organized 
foe  between  him  and  Richmond,  In  his  usual  boastful  spirit,  he 
exalted  the  invincibility  of  his  host  declaring  it  to  be  "  the  finest 
army  upon  the  planet." 

To  meet  this  tremendous  force,  General  Lee  had  the  corps  of 
General  Jackson,  and  two  divisions  of  the  corps  of  General 
Longstreet,  those  of  Anderson  and  McLaws.  The  other  three, 
with  Longstreet,  under  Hood,  Pickett,  Ransom,  were  absent  in 
Southeastern  Yirginia,  making  a  demonstration  against  Suffolk, 
whither  they  had  been  directed  by  the  scarcity  of  forage  and 
food  in  Spottsylvania.  The  corps  of  General  Jackson  now  con 
sisted  of  four  divisions,  —  those  of  A.  P.  Kill;  D.  H.  Hill,  com 
manded  by  Brigadier  General  Rhodes ;  Trimble,  commanded  by 
Brigadier  General  Colston;  and  Early.  General  D.  II.  Hill 
had  been  detached  to  another  and  more  important  command, 
and  Major- General  Trimble  was  detained  by  infirmity  at  his 
home.  The  four  divisions  now  contained  about  twenty-eight 
thousand  muskets,  and  an  aggregate  of  more  than  thirty  thou 
sand  men  and  officers.  They  were  supported  by  twenty-eight 
field  batteries,  containing  one  hundred  and  fifteen  guns ;  but  of 
these  many  were  deficient  in  horses  to  move  them  with  prompti 
tude.  The  scarcity  of  forage  had  reduced  the  larger  part  of 
the  artillery  horses,  and  had  destroyed  not  a  few.  Besides  these 
batteries,  the  army  was  still  accompanied  by  a  reserved  corps  of 
artillery,  commanded  by  Brigadier  General  Pendleton.  Stuart's 
division  of  cavalry  was  also  acting  upon  the  left.  So  that  Gen 
eral  Lee  had,  in  all,  an  aggregate  of  about  forty-five  thousand 
men,  with  which  to  meet  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand. 

The  enemy  no  sooner  appeared  upon  the  Rapid  Ann,  than 
General  Anderson's  division  was  marched  westward  to  meet 
them,  supported  by  a  part  of  M'Laws's.  On  Thursday,  the  re 
mainder  of  M'Laws's  brigades,  except  one  left  upon  Marye's  Hill, 


MOVEMENTS  AGAINST  HOOKER.  665 

was  sent  to  the  support  of  Anderson.  Meantime,  General  Jack 
son  lay  in  the  lines  occupied  by  the  Confederate  army  on  the 
13th  of  December,  watching  the  proceedings  of  Sedgwick  before 
him,  who  was  ostentatiously  parading  his  force,  and  seeking  to 
magnify  the  impression  of  his  numbers.  The  attitude  of  Hooker 
was  now  most  threatening  to  the  Confederates ;  but  he  had  com 
mitted  the  capital  error  of  dividing  his  army,  and  operating  with 
the  parts  upon  two  lines,  which,  although  convergent,  were  exte 
rior  lines  to  General  Lee.  The  latter  had  his  option  to  attack 
the  one  or  the  other  part  with  the  weight  of  his  main  force,  and 
thus  to  deal  with  the  two  fragments  in  detail.  No  doubt  could 
be  entertained  by  the  true  strategist  as  to  this  leading  principle. 
When  some  person  about  the  Staff,  after  the  development  of 
Hooker's  plan,  expressed  his  anxiety  and  his  fear  lest  the  army 
should  be  compelled  to  retreat  before  him,  General  Jackson  re 
plied  sharply,  "  Who  said  that  ?  No,  sir,  we  shall  not  fall  back ; 
we  shall  attack  them."  But  the  question  to  be  decided  was,  which 
part  should  be  attacked  first  ?  In  favor  of  assailing  Sedgwick 
were  some  plausible  reasons.  Time  was  an  important  element 
in  the  movements  of  the  inferior  army,  possessing  the  interior 
lines ;  and  if  it  were  not  improved,  the  loss  of  its  own  line  of 
communications,  or  the  approximation  of  the  two  separated  parts 
of  its  enemy  would  speedily  transfer  the  advantage  of  concentra 
tion  to  him  again.  But  Jackson  was  already  in  front  of  Sedg 
wick,  and  no  march  was  necessary  to  bring  him  into  collision 
with  him ;  whereas  a  day  must  be  consumed  in  going  to  the  Wil 
derness,  to  seek  Hooker.  Sedgwick's  was  also  the  smaller  force ; 
but  still,  its  overthrow  would  probably  decide  the  failure  of 
Hooker's  grand  combination.  These  considerations  were  coun 
terbalanced  by  the  facts,  that  Sedgwick  had  now  entrenched 
himself,  and  that  the  assault  upon  him  must  be  made  under  the 
fire  of  the  Stafford  batteries.  After  animated  discussion  between 

84 


6G6  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

G-enerals  Lee  and  Jackson,  the  former  decided  to  meet  Sedg- 
wick's  feint  by  a  feint ;  to  leave  Early's  division,  of  about  seven 
thousand  men,  in  the  entrenchments  with  Barksdale's  brigade, 
upon  Marye's  Hill,  to  confront  his  thirty-five  thousand,  while  the 
whole  remainder  of  the  army  stole  away  to  reinforce  Generals 
Anderson  and  M'Laws,  and  to  take  the  aggressive  against 
Hooker.  In  this  plan  General  Jackson  cheerfully  acquiesced. 

Thursday,  the  30th  of  April,  had  now  arrived,  and  he  pre 
pared  to  break  up  his  quarters.  The  opening  of  the  campaign 
had  metamorphosed  the  whole  man.  Those  who  had  seen  him 
in  his  winter-quarters,  toiling  with  a  patient  smile  over  his  heaps 
of  official  papers,  who  had  received  his  gentle  and  almost  feminine 
kindnesses  there,  who  had  only  beheld  him  among  his  chaplains,  or 
at  public  worship,  the  deferential  and  tender  Christian,  had  been 
tempted  to  wonder  whether  this  were  indeed  the  thunderbolt  of 
war,  he  was  described  by  fame ;  and  whether  so  meek  a  spirit 
as  his  would  be  capable  of  directing  its  terrors.  But  when  they 
met  him  on  this  morning,  all  such  doubts  fled  before  his  first 
glance.  His  step  was  quick  and  firm,  his  whole  stature  uncon 
sciously  erected  and  elate  with  genius  and  majesty,  while  all 
comprehending  thought,  decision,  and  unconquerable  will,  burned 
in  his  eye.  His  mind  seemed,  with  equal  rapidity  and  clearness, 
to  remember  everything,  and  to  judge  everything.  In  a  firm  and 
decisive  tone,  he  issued  his  rapid  orders  to  every  branch  of  his 
service,  overlooking  nothing  which  could  possibly  affect  the 
efficiency  of  his  corps.  The  tents  which  for  a  month  and  a  half 
had  formed  his  quarters,  were  now  about  to  be  struck  and 
removed,  when  he  rode  up  to  them  for  the  last  time ;  a  mob  of 
officers,  aids,  soldiers,  and  teamsters,  was  bustling  around,  in  all 
the  confusion  of  a  hurried  removal,  when  he  dismounted  and 
threw  the  rein  of  his  horse  to  his  servant  Jim,  and  retired  within 
his  tent.  A  moment  after,  he  raised  his  hand  to  the  people 


GENERAL  LEE   CALLS  HIM   TO   CONFRONT  HOOKER.          667 

around,  with  a  warning  gesture,  and  whispered :     "  Hush 

The  General  is  praying !"  An  instant  silence  fell  on  every  per 
son.  After  a  full  quarter  of  an  hour  he  raised  the  curtain  and 
came  out,  with  an  elevated  and  serene  countenance,  and  mount 
ing  his  horse,  after  some  final  directions,  rode  away.  That  tent 
had  doubtless  been  pitched  with  prayer ;  and  now  the  last  act  of 
its  occupant  was  prayer.  With  this  final  preparation  he  turned 
to  meet  the  enemies  of  his  country. 

General  Lee  had  now  proceeded  in  person  to  examine  the 
formidable  demonstration  of  Hooker  above,  and  had  written 
back  to  General  Jackson,  informing  him  of  the  situation  of 
affairs,  and  instructing  him  to  move  to  his  support.  The  enemy, 
in  great  force,  had  crossed  the  Rapid  Ann  at  Germanna  and 
Ely's  fords,  driving  back  the  guards  placed  there  by  General 
Stuart,  had  advanced  into  the  country  a  number  of  miles,  uncov 
ering  for  themselves  the  United  States  ford,  which  crosses  the 
Rappahannock  a  mile  below  the  junction  of  the  two  rivers,  and 
had  established  themselves  at  the  villa  of  Chancellorsville,  fifteen 
miles  west  of  Fredericksburg.  The  reader's  attention  must  now 
be  claimed  for  a  description  of  the  place.  Two  main  roads 
lead  from  Fredericksburg,  westward  to  Orange  j  the  one  called 
the  old  turnpike,  because  first  made,  the  other,  called  the  plank- 
road;  because  once  paved  with  wooden  boards.  The  plank- 
road  is  south  of  the  old  turnpike,  and  separated  from  it  during 
the  most  of  its  course,  by  a  space  of  a  few  miles.  But  the  trav 
eller  who  proceeds  along  it  from  Fredericksburg,  westward,  at 
the  distance  of  fifteen  miles  from  the  town,  finds  the  two 
thoroughfares  merge  themselves  into  one,  and  continue  to  pur 
sue  the  same  track  for  three  miles ;  when  they  again  diverge, 
even  more  widely  than  before ;  the  plank-road,  as  before,  bearing 
toward  the  left  or  south.  At  the  spot  where  the  two  highways 
unite,  stood  the  ample  villa  of  Chancellor,  in  the  midst  of  a 


668  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

farm  of  a  mile  in  extent,  which,  like  an  island  amidst  the  waters, 
was  surrounded  on  every  side  by  forests.  From  the  same  spot, 
two  other  roads  diverged,  the  one  leading  toward  the  northeast 
and  Banks'  ford,  the  other  toward  the  northwest.  This  last, 
after  proceeding  two  miles,  divided  into  two,  of  which  the  right 
or  northern  branch  led  to  the  United  States  ford,  and  the  left  or 
western,  to  the  ford  of  Ely,  over  the  Rapid  Ann.  The  surface 
of  the  country  around  Chancellorsville  is  undulating,  but  pre 
sents  no  hills  of  great  altitude.  Immediately  west  of  that  farm, 
begins  the  country  known  as  the  Wilderness  of  Spottsylv ania ;  a 
region  interspersed  with  a  few  small  and  inferior  farms,  but 
whose  poor  and  gravelly  soil  is  otherwise  covered,  for  a  few 
miles,  with  a  tangled  forest  of  oak  and  shrubbery.  It  was  in  this 
region,  that  the  fuel  had  been  cut,  ever  since  the  days  when  Gov 
ernor  Spottiswoode  of  the  colony,  first  wrought  the  iron  mines 
of  the  neighborhood,  to  supply  the  furnaces.  Hence  arose  the 
dense  coppices  which  covered  the  larger  part  of  the  surface  of 
the  country ;  in  which  every  stump  had  sent  up  two  or  three 
minor  stems  in  place  of  the  parent  trunk  removed  by  the  axe  of 
the  woodsman,  and  the  undergrowth  had  availed  itself  of  the  tem 
porary  flood  of  sunlight  let  in  upon  the  soil,  to  occupy  it  with  an 
almost  impenetrable  thicket  of  dwarf  oak,  chinquepin,  and 
whortleberrv.  But  six  or  seven  miles  west  of  Chancellorsville, 
the  "Wilderness  Run,  a  pellucid  stream  flowing  northward  to 
the  Rapid  Ann  presents  a  zone  of  better  soil,  which  is  covered 
with  handsome  farms  and  country  seats. 

Hooker  had  concentrated  his  forces  at  Chancellorsville  by  the 
30th  of  April,  and  was  now  busy  in  protecting  himself  by  bar 
ricades  and  earthworks  fronting  toward  the  east,  south,  and 
southwest;  which,  with  an  irregular  circuit  conformed  to  the 
gentle  declivities  of  the  surface,  embraced,  not  only  the  whole 
farm  of  Chancellor,  but  an  annular  belt  of  the  forest  in  which 


HOOKER  ARRESTED    AT   CPIANCELLORSVILLE.  669 

it  was  embosomed  also.  By  this  arrangement,  Hooker's  whole 
circuit  of  defences  was  masked  in  the  woods ;  and,  as  the  thickets 
in  front  were  infested  with  his  sharp-shooters,  an  exact  discovery 
of  the  position  and  nature  of  his  works  could  only  be  made  by 
an  attack  in  force.  The  difficulties  of  the  assault  were  thus 
vastly  increased ;  and  it  was  with  some  show  of  reason  that  the 
braggart  general  declared  on  Thursday  that  he  now  had  a  posi 
tion  from  which  nothing  could  dislodge  him.  The  longer  axis 
of  the  partially  entrenched  camp  thus  formed,  extending  from 
east  to  west,  was  about  two  miles.  But  other  works  were 
stretched  two  or  three  miles  farther  westward,  fronting  toward 
the  south  and  southwest,  and  designed  to  cover  the  turnpike 
and  the  two  farms  of  Melzi  Chancellor  and  Talley,  which  were 
also  occupied  with  Federal  camps,  from  an  attack  coming  from 
the  south. 

Having  thus  established  himself,  Hooker  began  on  Thursday 
to  push  forward  his  skirmishing  parties  to  the  east,  in  order  to 
feel  his  way  toward  General  Lee's  supposed  rear,  and  to  reach 
his  hand  toward  Sedgwick.  Proceeding  three  miles  toward 
Fredericksburg,  he  was  estopped  by  the  division  of  General  An 
derson,  at  Tabernacle  Church,  which  was  drawn  up  on  a  strong 
north  and  south  line,  and  defended  on  its  flanks  by  artillery  and 
cavalry.  To  his  assistance  M'Laws  also  came  speedily ;  and  it 
was  expected  that  General  Stuart,  who  had  retired  out  of  Cul- 
pepper  before  the  Federalists,  and  had  placed  himself  upon  their 
south  front,  would  connect  himself  with  General  Anderson's  left 
before  dawn  on  Friday  morning.  Meantime  Hooker  was  en 
deavoring  to  watch  every  Confederate  movement,  by  means  of 
sundry  balloons  raised  to  the  sky  from  the  north  side  of  the 
Rappahannock  ;  from  which  his  scouts  maintained  a  constant  in 
tercourse  with  the  earth  and  with  his  headquarters  by  telegraph 


670  LIFE   OP  LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSON. 

wires.     Such  was  the  position  of  affairs  at  nightfall  on  the  last 
day  of  April. 

General  Jackson  now  debated  with  himself  the  question  of 
moving  to  the  support  of  General  Anderson  at  once  by  a  night 
march,  or  of  awaiting  the  dawn  of  Friday,  the  1st  of  May.  He 
was  reluctant  to  adopt  the  former  determination,  because  the 
troops  would  be  unfitted  for  the  arduous  work  before  them  by 
occupying  in  the  toil  of  a  march  the  hours  which  should  be 
devoted  to  sleep.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  he  was  powerfully 
persuaded  to  it  by  the  facts  that  Anderson  and  M'Laws  might 
be  assailed  with  overwhelming  numbers  at  the  dawn  of  the  next 
morning,  and  that  a  night  march  would  conceal  his  withdrawal 
much  more  effectually  from  Sedgwick.  Having  obtained  trusty 
guides)  he  therefore  determined  to  draw  his  whole  corps,  except 
the  division  of  Early,  out  of  the  trenches  silently,  beginning  at 
midnight,  to  retire  a  few  miles  southward,  as  though  proceeding 
toward  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  and  then  make  his  way  by 
the  country  roads  of  the  interior  across  to  the  Orange  plank- 
road,  and  thus  proceed  westward.  Orders  were  accordingly 
issued  to  all  the  staff  departments  and  commanders  of  divisions, 
and  the  movement  was  begun  at  the  appointed  time  by  the  light 
of  a  brilliant  moon.  The  column  was  led  by  the  division  of 
General  D.  H.  Hill,  under  Brigadier- General  Rhodes.  Before 
the  mists  of  the  morning  had  cleared  away,  the  whole  corps  was 
far  on  its  way,  and  securely  out  of  view  amidst  the  woods  of  the 
interior,  beyond  the  most  piercing  espionage  of  Hooker's  bal- 
loonists,  General  Jackson  reached  the  position  of  Anderson 
about  eleven  o'clock  A.  M.,  and  found  him  still  confronting  the 
detachments  of  Hooker,  which  were  of  unknown  strength.  The 
Confederate  line  now  reached  from  the  plank  road  northward 
to  .  the  old  turnpike,  and  thence  toward  the  Rappahannock 
through  a  region  chiefly  covered  with  dense  woods  and  thickets. 


HE   SKIRMISHES  WITH   HOOKER.  671 

General  Jackson,  as  the  superior  officer  under  the  Comnian- 
der-in- Chief,  was  now  entrusted  with  the  direction  of  the  field, 
and  was  ordered  to  take  the  aggressive  and  press  back  the  Fed 
eral  out-posts,  until  Hooker's  real  strength  and  position  were 
disclosed.  This  he  proceeded  to  do,  with  all  his  accustomed 
vigor.  Some  of  the  best  regiments  of  Anderson's  and  his  own 
divisions  were  deployed  as  skirmishers,  and  steadily  advanced 
through  the  woods,  hunting  out  the  concealed  enemy,  and  driving 
them  in  with  continual  slaughter.  The  rattle  of  the  rifles  was 
heard  creeping  along,  upon  a  front  of  several  miles'  extent,  like 
the  crackling  of  some  vast  forest  conflagration,  while  a  few  light 
field-pieces,  advanced  along  the  several  roads,  abreast  of  the  rifle 
men,  cleared  the  way  as  often  as  the  enemy  attempted  to  gather 
a  force  in  any  open  space.  General  Jackson  himself  rode  with 
the  line  of  skirmishers,  and  often  before  them,  urging  them  on 
whenever  they  paused,  and  assuring  them  of  his  powerful  sup 
port.  There  are  few  services  which  put  the  nerve  of  the  brave 
soldier  to  a  more  trying  test,  than  such  an  advance  upon  a  con 
cealed  enemy  in  a  tangled  wood.  He  knows  not  what  danger 
is  near  him  in  front,  or  at  what  moment  the  stealthy  shot  may 
burst  upon  him  from  an  unseen  foe.  He  cannot  practise  the 
same  concealment  with  the  enemy  who  lies  in  ambush  for  him, 
because  he  is  continually  in  motion.  But  the  Confederate  line, 
urged  on  by  General  Jackson  and  his  Staff,  kept  up  a  slow  but 
steady  advance  throughout  the  afternoon,  until  the  Federal  pick 
ets  were,  at  nightfall,  driven  in  upon  their  main  line.  Hooker, 
on  his  part,  endeavored  to  retard  their  advance  by  detachments 
of  riflemen,  and  by  batteries,  which,  masked  behind  the  dense 
woods,  dropped  their  shells  over  in  every  direction  toward  the 
roads  which  were  occupied  by  the  Confederates.  But  all  this 
proved  rather  an  annoyance  than  a  resistance,  and  the  successes 
of  the  day  were  won  with  slight  loss. 


672  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

When  Friday  night  arrived,  Generals  Lee  and  Jackson  met, 
at  a  spot  where  the  road  to  the  Catharine  Iron  Furnace  turned 
southwestward  from  the  plank-road,  which  was  barely  a  mile  in 
front  of  Hooker's  works.  Here,  upon  the  brow  of  a  gentle  hill, 
grew  a  cluster  of  pine-trees,  while  the  gound  was  carpeted  with 
the  clean,  dry  sedge  and  fallen  leaves.  They  selected  this  spot, 
with  their  respective  Staffs,  to  bivouac,  while  the  army  lay  upon 
their  weapons,  a  few  yards  before  them,  and  prepared  to  sleep 
upon  the  ground,  like  their  men.  General  Stuart  had  now  joined 
them,  and  reported  the  results  of  his  reconnaissances  upon  the 
south  and  west  of  Hooker's  position.  He  had  ascertained  that 
the  Federal  commander  had  left  a  whole  corps,  under  General 
Reynolds,  at  Ely's  Ford,  to  guard  his  communications  there,  and 
that  he  had  massed  ninety  thousand  men  around  Chancellorsville, 
under  his  own  eye,  fortifying  them  upon  the  east,  south  and, 
southwest,  as  has  been  described.  But  upon  the  west  and 
northwest  his  encampments  were  open,  and  their  movements 
were  watched  by  Stuart's  pickets,  who  were  secreted  in  the  wil 
derness  there.  He  had  also  ascertained,  that  almost  all  their 
cavalry  had  broken  through  the  line  of  the  Rapid  Ann  in  one 
body,  and  had  invaded  the  south,  followed  and  watched  by  the 
brigade-  of  "W.  H.  Lee,  evidently  bent  upon  a  grand  raid  against 
the  Confederate  communications. 

Generals  Lee  and  Jackson  now  withdrew,  and  held  an  anxious 
consultation.  That  Hooker  must  be  attacked,  and  that  speedily, 
was  clear  to  the  judgments  of  both.  It  was  not  to  be  hoped  that 
the  absence  of  Jackson's  corps  from  the  front  of  Sedgwick  could 
remain  very  long  unknown  to  that  General;  or  that  Early 's 
seven  thousand  could  permanently  restrain  his  corps,  with  such 
additions  as  it  might  receive  from  Hooker.  To  hold  the  station 
ary  defensive  in  front  of  Chancellorsville  would,  therefore,  be 
equivalent  to  the  loss  of  the  whole  line  of  the  Rappahannock, 


JACKSON'S  PROJECT.  G73 

with  a  hazardous  retreat  along  a  new  and  crooked  line  of  opera 
tions  ;  for  the  success  of  Sedgwick  would  deprive  them  of  the 
direct  one,  and  place  him  in  alarming  proximity  to  any  other 
which  they  might  adopt.  Hooker,  then,  must  be  at  once  fought 
and  beaten,  or  the  initial  act  of  the  campaign  would  close  in 
disaster. 

"  General  Lee  had  promptly  concluded,  that  while,  on  the  one 
hand,  immediate  attack  was  proper,  some  more  favorable  place 
for  assault  must  be  sought,  by  moving  farther  toward  Hooker's 
right.  The  attempt  to  rout  ninety  thousand  well  armed  troops, 
entrenched  at  their  leisure,  by  a  front  attack,  with  thirty-five 
thousand,  would  be  too  prodigal  of  patriot  blood,  and  would 
offer  too  great  a  risk  of  repulse.  He  had  accordingly  already 
commanded  his  troops  to  commence  a  movement  toward  their 
left,  and  communicated  his  views  to  General  Jackson,  who 
warmly  concurred  in  their  wisdom.  A  report  was  about  this 
time  received  from  General  FitzIIugh  Lee,  of  Stuart's  com 
mand,  describing  the  position  of  the  Federal  army,  and  the 
roads  which  he  held  with  his  cavalry  leading  to  its  rear.  Gen 
eral  Jackson  now  proposed  to  throw,  his  command  entirely  into 
Hooker's  rear,  availing  himself  of  the  absence  of  the  Federal 
cavalry,  and  the  presence  of  the  Confederate  horse,  and  to 
assail  him  from  the  West,  in  concert  with  Anderson  and 
M-Laws. 

Stuart  was  there  with  his  active  horsemen  to  cover  this  move 
ment  ;  and  he  believed  that  it  could  be  made  with  comparatively 
little  risk,  and,  when  accomplished,  would  enable  him  to  crush 
the  surprised  enemy.  He  well  knew  that  ho  was  apparently 
proposing  a  "grand  detachment";  a  measure  pronounced  by 
military  science  so  reprehensible,  in  the  presence  of  an  active 
adversary.  It  might  seem  that,  in  venturing  one  instance  of  this 
hazardous  measure,  —  the  detaching  of  Early  to  remain  at 

85 


674  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Fredericksburg,  -7-  they  had  tempted  fortune  sufficiently  far,  with* 
out  again  repeating  it  by  a  further  division  of  forces  before  Hooker. 
But  the  maxims  of  the  military  art  should  be  our  servants,  and 
not  our  masters  j  and  the  part  of  good  sense  is  to  modify  their 
application  to  actual  instances,  according  to  circumstances.  In 
this  case,  the  only  choice  was  between  his  proposed  expedient; 
which  he  well  knew  was  unusual  and  hazardous,  and  another 
measure  still  more  hazardous.  -The  unwieldy  and  sluggish 
strategy  of  the  huge  Federal  armies  was  to  be  considered  j  and, 
along  with  that,  the  unsuspecting,  boastful,  and  overweening 
temper  of  their  chief,  who  was  precisely  the  man  to  be  thus  dealt 
with.  He  was  known  to  be  a  man  who  would  make  a  stubborn 
fight  against  a  plain,  front  attack ;  but  whose  lack  of  vigilance 
would  make  surprise  practicable,  and  whose  small  resources  of 
mind  in  the  moment  of  confusion  would  probably  offer  him  little 
aid  in  extricating  himself  from  that  surprise.  It  must  be  remem 
bered  also,  that  if  General  Jackson's  proposal  were  adopted,  it 
would  be  the  body  moving  with  him  which  would  really  be  the 
main  army,  and  the  divisions  of  Anderson  and  M'Laws  which 
would  be  the  detachment.  But  if  the  issue  of  affairs  at  Chan- 
cellorsville  were  adverse,  whatever  were  the  $lan  of  assault 
adopted,  the  retreat  which  must  follow  must  be  by  a  new  line  at 
any  rate ;  so  that  the  separation  of  his  corps  from  its  original 
line  of  operations  was  not,  in  this  case,  a  valid  objection.  It 
would  still  have  its  chance  of  retreat  upon  the  Central  Railroad, 
in  Louisa  county;  and  in  whatever  sha^e  a  repulse  came  at 
Chancellorsville,  if  it  should  perchance  come,  the  army  there 
would  have  no  other  resort.  But  if  the  assault  were  a  victory, 
then  the  question  of  lines  of  retreat  lost  all  its  importance. 
Last,  the  two  parts  of  the  army  would  be  in  supporting  dis 
tance  during  the  whole  movement. 

After  profound  reflection,  General  Lee  gave  the  sanction  of 


JACKSON  SEEKS  A  ROUTE  TO  THE  REAR.        675 

his  judgment  to  this  plan,  and  committed  its  execution  to  Gene 
ral  Jackson.  He  proposed  to  remain  with  Anderson  and 
M'Laws,  and  superintend  their  efforts  to  "  contain  "the  vast  army 
of  Hooker  until  the  hour  for  the  critical  attack  should  arrive. 
They  then  lay  down  upon  the  ground  to  seek  a  few  hours  of 
repose,  which  they  so  much  needed.  General  Jackson,  with  his 
usual  self-forgetfulness,  had  left  his  quarters,  his  mind  absorbed 
in  the  care  of  the  army,  without  any  of  those  provisions  of  over 
coat  or  blanket,  which  the  professional  soldier  is  usually  so 
careful  to  attach  to  his  saddle.  He  now  lay  down  at  the  foot 
of  a  pine-tree,  without  covering.  One  of  his  adjutants,  Colonel 
Alex.  S.  Pendleton,  urged  upon  him  his  overcoat ;  but  he,  with 
persistent  politeness,  declined  it.  He  then  detached  the  large 
cape,  and  spread  it  over  the  General,  retaining  the  body  of  the 
garment  for  himself.  The  General  remained  quiet  until  Pendle 
ton  fell  asleep,  when  he  arose  and  spread  the  cape  upon  him,  and 
resumed  his  place  without  covering.  In  the  morning  he  awoke 
chilled,  and  found  that  he  had  contracted  a  cold,  but  made  no 
remark  about  it. 

When  his  chaplain  awoke  in  the  morning,  before  the  dawn  of 
day,  he  perceived  a  little  fire  kindled  under  the  trees,  and 
General  Jackson  sitting  by  it  upon  a  box,  such  as  was  used  to 
contain  biscuit  for  the  soldiers.  The  General  knew  that  his 
former  pastoral  labors  had  led  him  to  this  region,  and  desired 
to  learn  something  from  him  about  its  by-roads.  He  therefore 
requested  him  to  sit  beside  'him  on  the  box ;  and  when  the  other 
declined  to  incommode  him  by  doing  so,  made  room  for  him  and 
repeated :  «  Come,  sit  down :  I  wish  to  talk  with  you."  As  he 
took  his  seat,  he  perceived  that  Jackson  was  shuddering  with 
cold,  and  was  embracing  the  little  blaze  with  expressions  of 
great  enjoyment.  He  then  proceeded  to  state  that  the  enemy 
were  in  great  force  at  Chancellorsville,  in  a,  fortified  position, 


676  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

and  that  to  dislodge  them  by  a  front  attack,  would  cost  a  fearful 
loss  of  life.  He  wished  to  know  whether  he  was  acquainted 
with  any  way,  by  which  their  flank  might  be  turned,  cither  on 
the  right  or  the  left.  He  was  informed  in  reply,  that  after 
proceeding  southward  along  the  furnace  road  for  a  space,  a 
blind  road  would  present  itself,  leading  westward  and  nearly 
parallel  to  the  Orange  plank-road,  which,  in  its  turn,  would 
conduct  into  a  plainer  route,  that  fell  into  the  great  road  four 
miles  above  Chancellorsville.  The  General,  quickly  drawing 
from  his  pocket  an  outline  map,  prepared  for  him  by  one  of  his 
engineers,  and  a  pencil,  said :  "  Take  this  map,  and  mark  it 
down  for  me."  When  he  saw  it,  he  said:  "That  is  too  near: 
it  goes  within  the  line  of  the  enemy's  pickets.  I  wish  to  get 
around  well  to  his  rear,  without  being  observed:  Do  you  know 
no  other  road  ?  "  He  replied  that  he  had  no  perfect  knowledge 
of  any  other,  but  presumed  that  the  road  which  he  had 
described  as  entering  the  Orange  plank-road,  four  miles  above 
Chancellorsville,  must  intersect  the  furnace  road  somewhere  in 
the  interior,  because  their  directions  were  convergent.  "  Then, 
said  Jackson:  "Where  can  you  find  this  out  certainly?"  He 
was  told  that  everything  could  doubtless  be  learned  at  the  house 
of  tlafi  proprietor  of  the  furnace,  a  mile  and  a  half  distant, 
whose  son,  a  patriotic  and  gallant  man,  would  be  an  excellent 
guide.  He  then  said :  "  Go  with  Mr.  Hotchkiss  (his  topograph 
ical  engineer)  to  the  furnace,  ascertain  whether  those  roads 
meet,  at  what  distance,  and  whether  they  are  practicable  for 
artillery  —  send  Mr.  Hotchkiss  back  with  the  information,  and 
r]o  you  procure  me  a  guide." 

The 'desired  information  was  speedily  obtained;  and  it  was 
discovered  that  the  two  roads  crossed  each  other  at  the  distance 
of  a  few  miles;  so  that,  by  a  circuit  of  fifteen  miles,  a  point 
would  be  reached  near  Wilderness  Run,  several  miles  above  the 


HOOKER  MISUNDERSTANDS  JACKSON 's  MOVEMENT.  677 

farthest  outposts  of  Hooker.  The  intersecting  road,  by  which 
the  Orange  plank-road  was  to  be  regained,  was  known  as  the 
Brock  road.  Leading  from  Culpepper  southeastward,  it  crosses 
the  old  turnpike  near  the  Wilderness  tavern,  and  the  plank- 
road  two  or  three  miles  south  of  it ;  so  that  by  this  route  Gen 
eral  Jackson's  purposes  were  perfectly  met.  As  soon  as  he 
received  the  necessary  assurance  of  this,  he  gave  orders  for  his 
corps  to  begin  their  march,  and  a  little  after  sunr fee  appeared  at 
the  furnace  at  the  head  of  the  column.  He  declined  the  urgent 
request  of  the  family  there  to  partake  of  the  breakfast  which 
they  were  preparing  for  him,  and  without  any  refreshment  busied 
himself  in  pushing  on  his  troops.  Forgetful  of  no  prudent  pre 
caution,  he  directed  that  a  regiment  of  General  M'Laws  should 
be  sent  to  guard  the  entrance  of  the  blind  road  near  the  Fur 
nace,  lest  the  Federalists  should  attack  the  side  of  his  passing 
column  by  that  outlet.  He  then  caused  the  regiments  of  Stuart, 
which  were  present,  to  patrol  the  country  between  his  line  of 
inarch  and  their  outposts,  that  they  might  learn  nothing  of  his 
journey. 

But,  before  the  whole  column  had  passed  the  Furnace,  some 
of  Hooker's  scouts,  mounted  in  the  tops  of  the  highest  trees 
southeast  of  Chancellor's  house,  perceived  it,  and  reported  its 
movement  to  him.  That  sagacious  commander  was  now  per 
fectly  certain  that  the  disheartened  "  Rebels "  were  in  full 
retreat  upon  Richmond.  Their  early  march  to  the  southward 
could  bear,  in  his  judgment,  no  other  explanation.  He  therefore 
prepared  to  harass  the  rear  of  their  flight;  and  to  this  end 
posted  some  artillery  upon  the  declivities  facing  the  Furnace 
Road,  which  cannonaded  the  ammunition  train  of*  General  Jack 
son  ;  and  sent  down  a  few  regiments,  after  a  time,  to  ascertain 
the  direction  of  his  retreat.  These  came  into  collision  with  the 
regiment  of  M'Laws,  captured  a  part  of  them,  and  were,  in  turn 


G78  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

V 

driven  off  by  a  demonstration  of  other  Confederate  troops  from 
the  plank-road.  Hooker  now  found  the  same  firm  resistance 
upon  his  eastern  front  which  he  had  met  the  day  before,  and, 
after  some  feeble  skirmishing  of  artillery  and  riflemen,  became 
quiescent,  awaiting  further  developments.  It  was  here  that  he 
committed  his  fatal  blunder,  —  a  blunder  inexcusable  even  when 
judged,  in  the  absence  of  the  light  cast  upon  his  situation  by 
subsequent  events,  by  his  own  professed  conclusions.  If  he 
believed  that  the  Confederate  army  was  indeed  retreating  into 
the  interior  of  Spottsylvania,  and  thence  toward  Richmond,  it  is 
strange. that  the  bold  front  still  maintained  against  him  on  the 
east  by  General"  Lee  did  not  suggest  an  anxious  doubt.  Was 
not  this  a  new  manner  for  the  rear-guard  of  a  baffled  and  fleeing 
army  to  behave  ?  Did  it  not  point,  too  strongly  for  a  moment's 
hesitation,  to  the  propriety  of  his  at  once  attacking  them  in  such 
force  as  to  learn  what  they  truly  meant  ?  And  if  he  found  them 
obstinate  and  immovable  upon  his  east  front,  would  not  that 
result  dictate  still  more  clearly  that  he  should  move  upon  their 
south  or  left  flank,  if  necessary,  with  his  whole  force,  until  they 
were  forced  back,  and  the  mystery  of  Jackson's  disappearance 
on  that  side,  and  of  the  unaccountable  gap  which  he  was  placing 
between  himself  and  his  friends,  was  cleared  up  ?  The  history 
of  war  contains  no  stronger  instance  of  the  danger  of  the  policy 
of  "  the  stationary  defensive,"  when  adhered  to  in  disregard  of 
new  circumstances.  It  was  very  properly  a  part  of  Hooker's 
programme,  after  gaining  his  strong  position  at  Chancellorsvillc, 
to  await  the  attack  of  the  Confederates.  But  the  prudence  of 
this  plan  depended  wholly  upon  their  making  that  attack  in  that 
mode  in  which  he  had  prepared  himself  to  receive  it.  Just  as 
soon  as  it  became  doubtful  whether  they  purposed  to  do  this,  the 
defensive  policy  became  of  doubtful  propriety ;  and  sound  judg 
ment  dictated  that  Hooker  should  modify  his  purposes  also,  and 


HIS  POSITION  IN  HOOKER'S  BEAR.  679 

should  immediately  assume  the  aggressive,  sufficiently,  at  least, 
to  determine  their  true  project.  By  sitting  still  now,  he  forfeited 
all  the  strength  of  his  defensive  position.  The  best  justification 
of  General  Jackson's  strategy  is  found  in  the  fact  that  he  so  cor 
rectly  estimated  the  temper  of  his  adversary,  and  anticipated  the 
blunder  which  he  would  commit. 

The  narrative  returns  now  to  his  march.  The  troops,  com 
prehending  instantly  that  he  was  engaged  in  one  of  his  famous 
assaults  upon  his  enemy's  flanks,  responded  to  his  eager  spirit 
zealously,  and  pressed  forward  along  the  narrow  country  road 
at  a  rapid  gait.  Often  the  men  were  compelled  to  advance  at 
a  double-quick,  in  order  to  close  up  the  column.  After  proceed 
ing  southwest,  a  few  miles  beyond  the  Catharine  furnace,  they 
came  to  the  intersection  of  the  Brock  road,  and  turning  to  the 
right  at  a  sharp  angle,  assumed  a  northwestern  direction.  "When 
General  Jackson  reached  the  plank-road  again,  he  quietly 
advanced  the  Stonewall  Brigade  down  it,  under  General  Paxton, 
with  instructions  to  form  across  it  at  the  junction  of  the  road 
which  led  thence  toward  Germanna  ford,  so  as  to  prevent  egress 
at  that  place.  He  then  continued  his  march,  with  the  remainder 
of  the  corps,  until  he  found  himself  in  the  old  turnpike  near 
Wilderness  Run.  He  had  marched  fifteen  miles,  and  three  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon  had  arrived.  He  was  six  miles  west  of  Chan- 
cellorsville,  and  upon  precisely  the  opposite  side  of  the  enemy 
to  that  occupied  by  General  Lee.  He  now  addressed  to  him 
the  following,  which  is  the  last  of  his  official  notes : 

"NEAR  3,  P.  M.,  MAY  2nd,  1863. 
"  GENERAL:  — 

"  The  enemy  has  made  a  stand  at  Chancellor's,  which  is  about 
two  miles  from  Chancellorsville.  I  hope,  so  soon  as  practicable, 
to  attack. 


G80  LIFE   OF   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

"  I  trust  tliat  an  ever  kind  Providence  will  bless  us  with  suc 
cess. 

"Respectfully, 

"T.  J.  JACKSON,  Lieutenant- General. 
"  GENERAL  ROBERT  E.  LEE. 

"  P.  S.  The  leading  division  is  up,  and  the  next  two  appear 
to  be  well  closed.  T.  J.  J." 

The  place  here  mentioned  as  Chancellor's,  two  miles  west  of 
Chancellorsville,  was  the  farm  of  Melzi  Chancellor,  which  was 
embraced  within  the  western  wing  of  Hooker's  defences,  and 
occupied  by  the  corps  of  Sigel,  now  commanded  by  General 
Howard.  General  Jackson  found  both  the  plank-road,  and  the 
old  turnpike  guarded  on  the  west  by  the  vigilant  pickets  of 
Stuart.  Advancing  to  these  outposts,  he  gained  a  glimpse  of  the 
position  of  the  enemy,  which  convinced  him  that  he  had  obtained 
the  desired  vantage  ground  from  which  to  attack  them.  He 
therefore  directed  his  column  to  advance  across  the  old  turnpike, 
and  then  to  wheel  to  the  eastward,  so  as  to  present  a  line  toward 
the  foe.  The  open  fields  near  the  old  Wilderness  Tavern 
afforded  him  space  in  which  to  complete  his  array.  He  now 
formed  his  army  in  three  parallel  lines :  the  division  of  Rhodes 
in  front,  that  of  Colston  next,  and  that  of  A.  P.  Hill  in  the  rear. 
He  detailed  one  or  two  picked  batteries  to  advance  along  the 
turnpike,  which  marked  the  centre  of  his  lines ;  and.  such  was 
the  extent  of  the  thickets  into  which  he  was  about  to  plunge,  that 
no  position  could  be  gained  for  his  other  artillery.  Two  hours 
were  consumed  by  the  issuing  of  orders,  and  the  galloping  of 
aides  and  orderlies,  when,  between  five  and  six  o'clock,  everything 
was  ready  for  the  advance.  The  three  lines  swept  grandly  for 
ward,  at  the  word,  in  battle  array,  and  speedily  buried  them 
selves  in  the  tangled  forests.  So  dense  were  the  thickets,  that  the 


THE   EOUT   OF   THE   FEDERALS.  68,1 

soldiers  had  their  clothing  almost  torn  from  their  bodies,  and  could 
only  advance  by  creeping  through  the  thickest  spots ;  but  still 
the  lines  swept  forward,  in  tolerable  order,  and  with  high  enthu 
siasm.  General  A.  P.  Hill,  finding  this  toilsome  march  unneces 
sary  to  support  Rhodes,  whose  division  had  Colston  just  in  their 
rear,  was  allowed  to  withdraw  his  men  from  line  into  column 
again,  and  thus  advanced  along  the  turnpike,  leaving  a  part  of 
its  breadth  open  for  the  passage  of  artillery  and  ambulances, 
but  ready  to  reinforce  any  part  of  the  line  which  might  waver. 

As  the  Confederates  approached  the  little  farms  of  Talley  and 
Melzi  Chancellor,  after  a  march  of  two  miles  through  the  woods, 
they  came  upon  the  right  wing  of  Hooker's  army,  in  all  the 
security  of  unsuspicious  indolence.  Their  little  earthworks, 
which  fronted  the  south,  were  taken  in  reverse,  and  the  men 
were  scattered  about  the  fields  and  woods,  preparing  for  their 
evening  meal.  With  a  wild  hurra,  the  line  of  Rhodes  burst 
upon  them  from  the  woods,  and  the  first  volley  decided  their 
utter  rout.  The  second  line,  commanded  by  Colston^  unable  to 
restrain  their  impetuosity,  rushed  forward  at  the  shout,  pressed 
upon  the  first,  filling  up  their  gaps,  and  firing  over  their  heads, 
so  that  thenceforward  the  two  were  almost  merged  into  one, 
and  advanced  together,  a  dense  and  impetuous  mass.  For  three 
miles  the  Federalists  were  now  swept  back  by  a  resistless  charge. 
Even  the  works  which  confronted  the  west  afforded  them  no 
protection ;  no  sooner  were  they  manned  by  the  enemy,  than  the 
Confederates  clashed  upon  them  with  the  bayonet,  and  the 
defenders  were  either  captured  or  again  put  to  flight.  The  battle 
was  but  a  continued  onward  march,  with  no  other  pause  than 
that  required  for  the  rectification  of  the  line,  disordered  by  the 
density  of  the  woods.  The  eleven  thousand  German  merce 
naries  of  Howard  fled  almost  without  resistance,  carrying  away 
with  them  the  troops  sent  to  their  support  j  they  did  not  pause 

86 


682  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

in  Hooker's  entrenched  camp,  but  dashing  through  his  whole 
army  in  frantic  terror,  without  muskets,  without  hats,  they 
rushed  toward  the  fords  of  the  Rappahannock.  Fugitives, 
armed  men,  ambulances,  artillery,  were  mixed  together  in  vast 
masses,  all  struggling  madly  to  flee  as  rapidly  as  possible  from 
the  deadly  volleys  which  were  scourging  their  rear,  and  those 
terrible  war-cries  of  the  vengeful  patriots.  While  these  con 
fused  herds  offered  an  unfailing  mark  for  the  bullets  of  the 
Confederates,  they  were  able  to  make  no  effective  reply.  Hence 
the  slaughter  of  the  Federalists  was  heavy,  and  the  loss  of  the 
assailants  trifling.  The  ground  moreover  was  left  strewed  with 
incalculable  amounts  of  spoils.  The  lavish  equipments  with 
which  the  Federal  Government  fitted  out  its  armies,  now  fell  a 
prey,  in  a  moment,  to  the  victors.  Blankets,  clothing,  arms, 
ammunition,  cooking  utensils,  food,  almost  covered  the  surface  of 
the  highway,  and  were  thickly  scattered  though  the  fields  and 
coppices  for  three  miles. 

In  this  fashion  General  Jackson  urged  forward  the  attacl; 
until  after  nightfall.  After  the  dispositions  for  the  first  attack 
were  made,  the  only  order  given  by  him  had  been  his  favorite 
battle-cry:  "Press  forward."  This  was  his  message  to  every 
General,  and  his  answer  to  every  inquiry.  As  he  uttered  it,  he 
leaned  forward  upon  his  horse,  and  waved  his  hand  as  though 
endeavoring,  by  its  single  strength,  to  urge  forward  his  whole 
line.  Never  before  had  his  pre-occupation  of  mind,  and  his 
insensibility  to  danger  been  so  great.  At  every  cheer  from 
the  front,,  which  announced  some  new  success,  the  smile  of 
triumph  flashed  over  his  face,  followed  and  banished  immediately 
by  the  reverential  gratitude,  with  which  he  raised  his  face  and 
his  right  hand  to  the  heavens  in  prayer  and  thanksgiving.  It 
was  evident  that  he  regarded  this  as  his  greatest  victory,  and 
never  before  was  he  seen  so  frequently  engaged  in  worship  upon 


JACKSON  RE-FORMS  HIS   LINE.  683 

the  field.  Eight  o'clock  arrived,  and  the  moon  was  shedding  a 
doubtful  light  through  the  openings  of  the  forest,  but  the 
darkness  was  sufficient  to  arrest  the  pursuit  of  the  fugitives. 
The  line  of  Rhodes  was  now  within  a  mile  of  Chancellorsville, 
but  still  enveloped  within  the  bushy  woods  which  surrounded 
the  entrenchments  there;  and  they  had  no  means  of  knowing 
what  was  the  character  of  the  ground,  or  of  the  defences 
before  them.  Their  array  had  been  much  disordered  by  their 
rapid  advance ;  and  now,  by  a  species  of  common  impulse,  the 
whole  line,  finding  no  visible  enemy,  and  no  firing  in  their  front, 
paused  to  rest.  The  men,  leaving  their  places  in  the  ranks, 
were  clustering  in  groups,  to  discuss  the  triumphs  of  the 
evening,  and  many  were  reclining  at  the  roots  of  the  trees. 
They  had  now  marched  .more  than  twenty  miles  since  the 
morning,  had  fought  over  three  miles  of  difficult  ground,  and 
their  weariness  demanded  repose.  General  Jackson  perceiving 
this,  determined  to  relieve  his  front  line,  by  replacing  them  with 
the  fresh  troops  of  A.  P.  Hill,  who  had  closely  followed  up  his 
advance,  keeping  the  head  of  his  columns  a  little  behind  the 
line  of  battle,  upon  both  margins  of  the  turnpike.  He  therefore 
rh'rected  that  General  to  file  a  part  of  his  brigade  to  the  right, 
and  a  part  to  the  left  of  the  highway,  to  replace  those  of  Rhodes 
and  Colston,  which  were  to  be  withdrawn  to  the  second  line,  as 
fast  as  the  others  were  ready  to  take  their  places.  But  his 
vigilance  was  dissatisfied  with  the  disorder  to  which  the  men 
in  front  had  yielded ;  he  knew  that  the  present  quiet  was  but  a 
lull  in  the  storm  of  war  j  and  that  the  completion  of*  his  own 
movement  would  be  so  ruinous  to  Hooker,  it  was  impossible 
that  General  could  fail  to  make  another  attempt  to  arrest  it. 
He  therefore  expected  another  collision,  with  fresh  troops,  and 
knew  not  when  it  might  begin. 

It  was  just  at  this  moment  that  the  gallant  Colonel  Cobb,  of 


684  LIFE    OP    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

the  44th  Virginia  regiment;  in  Colston's  division,  came  to  report 
to  him,  that  advancing  through  the  woods  on  the  right  of  the 
turnpike,  a  little  space  beyond  the  line  where  the  Confederates 
had  paused  in  their  career,  he  had  captured  a  number  of  pris 
oners,  and  had  also  ascertained  the  existence  of  a  strong  barri 
cade  of  timber,  fronted  by  sm.abattis  which,  beginning  at  the 
right  margin  of  the  road,  seemed  to  run  down  a  gentle,  sinuous 
vale  of  the  forest,  an  indefinite  distance,  toward  the  south  and 
east,  and  was  now  deserted  by  the  Federalists.  (This  defence 
was,  in  fact,  a  part  of  the  main  circuit  by  which  Hooker  had  en 
closed  his  'entrenched  camp  at  Chancellorsville,  and  was  now 
surrendered  into  General  Jackson's  hands,  almost  without  a 
struggle.  So  complete  were  the  results  of  his  attack,  the  very 
citadel  of  Hooker  was  now  in  his  gyasp.)  He  found  General 
Jackson  near  the  road,  busily  engaged  in  correcting  the  partial 
disorder  into  which  the  men  had  fallen.  Riding  along  the  lines,  he 
was  saying,  «  Men,  get  into  line  !  get  into  line  !  Whose  regiment  is 
this  ?  Colonel,  get  your  men  instantly  into  line."  He  was  almost 
unattended,  and  had  obviously  sent  away  his  Staff  to  aid  in  correct 
ing  the  confusion,  or  to  direct  the  advance  of  A.  P.  Hill's  division 
to  the  front.  Upon  receiving  the  report  of  Cobb,  he  said  to  him, 
"  Find  General  Rhodes,  and  tell  him  to  occupy  that  barricade  at 
once,  with  his  troops."  He  added,  "  I  need  your  help  for  a  time ; 
this  disorder  must  be  corrected.  As  you  go  along  the  right,  tell 
the  troops,  from  me,  to  get  into  line,  and  preserve  their  order." 
He  then  busily  resumed  his  efforts  for  the  same  object,  and  a 
moment  after  rode  along  the  turnpike  toward  Chancellorsville, 
endeavoring  to  discover  the  intentions  of  the  enemy. 

His  anticipations  were,  indeed,  verified  at  once.  Hooker  was 
just  then  advancing  a  powerful  body  of  fresh  troops,  to  endeavor 
to  break  the  fatal  cordon  which  General  Jackson  was  drawing 
around  his  rear,  and  to  escape  from  General  Lee,  who  was 


JACKSON  GOES  TO  THE  FRONT.  685 

pressing  his  front.  He  was  pushing  a  strong  battery  along  the 
highway,  preceded  by  infantry  skirmishers,  and  in  front  of  Gen 
eral  Jackson's  right,  was  sending  a  heavy  line  of  infantry  through 
the  woods,  to  retake  the  all-important  barricade.  The  latter, 
according  to  the  usual  perfidy  of  the  enemy's  tactics,  was  pre 
ceded  by  a  flag  of  truce,  which  attempted  to  amuse  General 
Rhodes  with  some  trumpery  fable,  until  the  enemy  could  creep 
upon  him  unprepared.  Rhodes,  instantly  perceiving  the  cheat, 
directed  him  to  be  taken  to  General  Jackson  with  his  message ; 
and  resumed  the  effort  to  man  the  barricade  in  accordance  with 
his  order.  But  the  trick  was  partially  successful.  The  men 
had  not  yet  resumed  their  ranks,  nor  was  the  work  fully  occupied, 
before  the  Federal  line  of  battle  appeared  upon  the  brow  of  the 
little  hill  within  it,  and  poured  a  heavy  volley  upon  the  Confed 
erates,  at  point  blank  distance.  They  replied,  firing  wildly,  and 
made  efforts  to  sustain  the  strife,  but  in  a  feeble  and  irrregular 
fashion.  This  combat  upon  the  right  was  the  signal  for  the 
resumption  of  the  battle  along  the  whole  line ;  and  in  its  open 
ing  upon  the  turnpike,  General  Jackson  received  a  mortal 
wound. 

He  had  now  advanced  a  hundred  yards  beyond  his  line  of 
battle,  evidently  supposing  that,  in  accordance  with  his  constant 
orders,  a  line  of  skirmishers  had  been  sent  to  the  front,  immedi 
ately  upon  the  recent  cessation  of  the  advance.  He  probably 
intended  to  proceed  to  the  place  where  he  supposed  this  line 
crossed  the  turnpike,  to  ascertain  from  them  what  they  could 
learn  concerning  the  enemy.  He  was  attended  only  by  a  half 
dozen  mounted  orderlies,  his  signal  officer,  Captain  Wilbourne, 
with  one  of  his  men,  and  his  aide,  Lieutenant  Morrison,  who  had 
just  returned  to  him.  General  A.  P.  Hill,  with  his  staff  also 
proceeded  immediately  after  him,  to  the  front  of  the  line,  accom 
panied  by  Captain  Boswell  of  the  Engineers,  whom  General 


686  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

Jackson  had  just  detached  to  assist  him.     After  the  General  and 
his  escort  had  proceeded  down  the  road  a  hundred  yards,  they 
were  surprised  by  a  volley  of  musketry  from  the  right,  which 
spread  toward  their  front,  until  the  bullets  began  to   whistle 
among  them,  and  struck  several  horses.     This  was,  in  fact,  the 
advance  of  the  Federal  line  assailing  the  barricade,  which  they 
were  attempting  to  regain.     General  Jackson  was  now  aware  of 
their  proximity,  and  perceived  that  there  was  no  picket  or  skir 
misher  between  him  and  his  enemies:     He  therefore,  turned  to 
ride  hurriedly  back  to  his  own  troops ;  and,  to  avoid  the  fire, 
which  was,  thus  far,  limited  to  the  south   side  of  the  road,  he 
turned  into  the  woods  upon  the  north  side.     It  so  happened  that 
General  Hill,  with  his  escort,  had  been  directed  by  the  same 
motive  almost  to  the  same  spot.     As  the  party  approached  within 
twenty  paces  of  the  Confederate  troops,  these,  evidently  mistak 
ing  them  for  cavalry,  stooped,  and  delivered  a  deadly  fire.     So 
sudden  and  stunning  w*as  this  volley,  and  so  near  at  hand,  that 
every  horse  which  was  not  shot  down,  recoiled  from  it  in  panic, 
and    turned  to   rush  back,  bearing  their   riders    toward   the 
approaching  enemy.      Several  fell  dead  upon  the  spot,  among 
them  the  amiable  and   courageous  Boswell;    and  more   were 
wounded.     Among  the  latter  was  General  Jackson.      His  right 
hand  was  penetrated  by  a  ball,  his  left  fore  arm  lacerated  by 
another,  and  the  same  limb  broken  a  little  below  the  shoulder  by 
a  third,  which  not  only  crushed  the  bone,  but  severed  the  main 
artery.     His  horse  also  dashed,  panic-stricken,  toward  the  enemy, 
carrying  him  beneath  the  boughs  of  a  tree  which  inflicted  severe 
blows,  lacerated  his  face,  and  almost  dragged  him  from  the  sad 
dle.     His  bridle  hand  was  now  powerless,  but  seizing  the  reins 
with  the  right  hand,  notwithstanding  its  wound,  he  arrested  his 
career,  and  brought  the  animal  back  toward  his  own  lines.     He 
was  followed  by  his  faithful  attendant,  Captain  Wilbourne,  and 


HIS   WOUNDS.  687 

his  assistant,  Wynn,  who  overtook  him  as  he  paused  again  in 
the  turnpike,  near  the  spot  where  he  had  received  the  fatal  shots. 
The  firing  of  the  Confederates  had  now  been  arrested  by  the 
officers :  but  the  wounded  and  frantic  horses  were  rushing,  with 
out  riders,  through  the  woods,  and  the  ground  was  strewn  with 
the  dead  and  dying.  Here  General  Jackson  drew  up  his  horse, 
and  sat  for  an  instant  gazing  toward  his  own  men,  as  if  in 
astonishment  at  their  cruel  mistake,  and  in  doubt  whether  he 
should  again  venture  to  approach  them.  To  the  anxious  in 
quiries  of  Captain  Wilbourne,  he  replied  that  he  believed  his 
arm  was  broken ;  and  requested  him  to  assist  him  from  his 
horse,  and  examine  whether  the  wounds  were  bleeding  danger 
ously.  But  before  he  could  dismount  he  sunk  fainting  into  their 
arms,  so  completely  prostrate,  that  they  were  compelled  to  dis 
engage  his  feet  from  the  stirrups.  They  now  bore  him  aside  a 
few  yards  into  the  woods  north  of  the  turnpike,  to  shield  him 
from  the  expected  advance  of  the  Federalists ;  and  while  Wynn 
was  sent  for  an  ambulance  and  surgeon,  Wilbourne  proceeded, 
supporting  his  head  upon  his  bosom,  to  strip  his  mangled  arm, 
and  bind  up  his  wound.  The  warm  blood  was  flowing  in  a 
stream  down  his  wrist ;  his  clothing  impeded  all  access  to  its 
source,  and  nothing  was  at  hand  more  efficient  than  a  penknife, 
to  remove  the  obstructions.  But  at  this  terrible  moment,  he  saw 
General  Hill,  with  the  remnant  of  his  staff,  approaching ;  and 
called  to  him  for  assistance.  He,  with  his  volunteer  aide,  Major 
Leigh,  dismounted,  and  taking  the  body  of  the  General  into  his 
arms,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  wound,  and  stanching  the  blood 
with  a  handkerchief.  The  swelling  of  the  lacerated  flesh  had 
already  performed  this  office  in  part.  His  two  aides,  Lieuten 
ants  Smith  and  Morrison,  arrived  at  this  moment,  the  former 
having  been  left  at  the  rear  to  execute  some  orders,  and  the  lai> 
ter  having  just  saved  himself,  at  the  expense  of  a  stunning  fall, 


688  LIFE   OF    LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

by  leaping  from  liis  horse,  as  ho  was  carrying  him,  in  uncontrol- 
able  fright,  into  the  enemy's  ranks.  Morrison,  the  General's 
brother  by  marriage,  was  agitated  by  grief;  but  Smith  was  full 
at  once  of  tenderness,  and  of  that  clear  self-possession,  which  is 
so  valuable  in  the  hour  of  danger.  "With  the  skilful  direction  of 
General  Hill,  they  now  effectually  arrested  the  hemorrhage,  and 
adjusted  a  sling  to  support  the  mangled  arm. 

It  was  at  this  moment  that  two  Federal  skirmishers  ap 
proached  within  a  few  feet  of  the  spot  where  he  lay,  with  their 
muskets  cocked.  They  little  knew  what  a  prize  was  in  their 
grasp ;  and  when,  at  the  command  of  General  Hill,  two  orderlies 
arose  from  the  kneeling  group,  and  demanded  their  surrender, 
they  seemed  amazed  at  their  nearness  to  their  enemies,  and 
yielded  their  arms  without  resistance.  Lieutenant  Morrison,  sus 
pecting  from  their  approach  that  the  Federalists  must  be  near  at 
hand,  stepped  out  into  the  road  to  examine ;  and  by  the  light  of 
the  moon  saw  a  field-piece  pointed  toward  him,  apparently  not 
more  than  a  hundred  yards  distant.  Indeed  it  was  so  near  that 
the  orders  given  by  the  officers  to  the  cannoneers  could  be  dis 
tinctly  heard.  Returning  hurriedly,  he  announced  that  the  ene 
my  were  planting  artillery  in  the  road,  and  that  the  General 
must  be  immediately  removed.  General  Hill  now  remounted, 
and  hurried  back  to  make  his  dispositions  to  meet  this  attack. 
In  the  combat  which  ensued  he  was  himself  wounded  a  few  mo 
ments  after,  and  compelled  to  leave  the  field.  No  ambulance  or 
litter  was  yet  at  hand,  although  Captain  Wilbourne  had  also 
been  sent  to  seek  them;  and  the  necessity  of  an  immediate 
removal  suggested  that  they  should  bear  the  General  away  in 
their  arms.  To  this  he  replied,  that  if  they  would  assist  him  to 
rise,  he  could  walk  to  the  rear ;  and  he  was  accordingly  raised 
to  his  feet,  and  leaning  upon  the  shoulders  of  Major  Leigh  and 
Lieutenant  Smith,  went  slowly  out  into  the  highway,  and  toward 


FIDELITY   OP   HIS   AIDES.  689 

his  troops.  The  party  was  now  met  by  a  litter,  which  some  one 
had  sent  from  the  rear ;  and  the  General  was  placed  upon  it,  and 
borne  along  by  two  soldiers,  and  Lieutenants  Smith  and  Morri 
son.  As  they  were  placing  him  upon  it,  the  enemy  fired  a  volley 
of  canister-shot  up  the  road,  which  passed  over  their  heads. 
But  they  had  proceeded  only  a  few  steps  before  the  discharge 
was  repeated,  with  a  more  accurate  aim.  One  of  the  soldiers 
bearing  the  litter  was  struck  down,  severely  wounded ;  and  had 
not  Major  Leigh,  who  was  walking  beside  it,  broken  his  fall,  the 
General  would  have  been  precipitated  to  the  ground.  He  was 
placed  again  upon  the  earth ;  and  the  causeway  was  now  swept 
by  a  hurricane  of  projectiles  of  every  species,  before  which  it 
seemed  that  no  living  thing  could  survive.  The  bearers  of  the 
litter,  and  all  the  attendants,  excepting  Major  Leigh  and  the 
General's  two  aides,  left  him,  and  fled  into  the  woods  on  either 
hand,  to  escape  the  fatal  tempest ;  while  the  sufferer  lay  along 
the  road,  with  his  feet  toward  the  foe,  exposed  to  all  its  fury. 
It  was  now  that  his  three  faithful  attendants  displayed  a  heroic 
fidelity,  which  deserves  to  go  down  with  the  immortal  name  of 
Jackson  to  future  ages.  Disdaining  to  save  their  lives  by  desert 
ing  their  chief,  they  lay  down  beside  him  in  the  causeway,  and 
sought  to  protect  him  as  far  as  possible  with  their  bodies.  On  one 
side  was  Major  Leigh,  and  on  'the  other  Lieutenant  Smith.  Again 
and  again  was  the  earth  around  them  torn  with  volleys  of  can 
ister,  while  shells  and  minie  balls  flew  hissing  over  them,  and 
the  stroke  of  the  iron  hail  raised  sparkling  flashes  from  the  flinty 
gravel  of  the  roadway.  General  Jackson  struggled  violently  to 
rise,  as  though  to  endeavor  to  leave  the  road ;  but  Smith  threw 
his  arm  over  him,  and  with  friendly  force  held  him  to  the  earth, 
saying.:  "  Sir,  you  must  lie  still ;  it  will  cost  you  your  life  if  you 
rise."  He  speedily  acquiesced,  and  lay  quiet ;  but  none  of  the 
four  hoped  to  escape  alive.  Yet,  almost  by  miracle,  they  wero 

87 


690  LIFE    OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL    JACKSON. 

unharmed;  and,  after  a  few  moments;  the  Federalists,  having 
cleared  the  road  of  all  except  this  little  party,  ceased  to  fire  along 
it,  and  directed  their  aim  to  another  quarter. 

They  now  arose,  and  resumed  their  retreat,  the  General  lean 
ing  upon  his  friends,  and  proceeding  along  the  gutter  at  the 
margin  of  the  highway,  in  order  to  avoid  the  troops  who  were 
again  hurrying  to  the  front.  Perceiving  that  he  was  recognized 
by  some  of  them,  they  diverged  still  farther  into  the  edge  of  the 
thicket.  It  was  here  that  General  Fender  of  North  Carolina, 
who  had  succeeded  to  the  command  of  Hill's  division  upon  the 
wounding  of  that  officer,  recognized  General  Jackson,  and,  after 
expressing  his  hearty  sympathy  for  his  sufferings,  added,  "  My 
men  are  thrown  into  such  confusion  by  this  fire,  that  I  fear  I 
shall  not  be  able  to  hold  my  ground."  Almost  fainting  with 
anguish  and  loss  of  blood,  he  still  replied,  in  a  voice  feeble  but 
full  of  his  old  determination  and  authority,  "  General  Fender, 
you  must  keep  your  men  together,  and  hold  your  ground."  This 
was  the  last  military  order  ever  given  by  Jackson !  How  fit 
was  the  termination  for  such  a  career  as  his,  and  how  expressive 
of  the  resolute  purpose  of  his  soul  I  His  bleeding  country  could 
do  nothing  better  than  to  adopt  this  as  her  motto  in  her  hour  of 
trial,  inscribe  it  on  all  her  banners,  and  make  it  the  rallying  cry 
of  all  her  armies. 

General  Jackson  now  complained  of  faintness,  and  was  again 
placed  upon  the  litter  ,•  and,  after  some  difficulty,  men  were  ob 
tained  to  bear  him.  To  avoid  the  enemy's  fire,  which  was  again 
sweeping  the  road,  they  made  their  way  through  the  tangled 
brushwood,  almost  tearing  his  clothing  from  him,  and  lacerating 
his  face,  in  their  hurried  progress.  The  foot  of  one  of  the  men 
bearing  his  head  was  here  entangled  in  a  vine,  and  he  fell  pros 
trate.  The  General  was  thus  thrown  heavily  to  the  ground 
upon  Ms  wounded  side,  inflicting  painful  bruises  on  his  body 


HE   IS    CARRIED    OFF   THE   FIELD.  G91 

and  intolerable  agony  on  his  mangled  arm,  and  renewing  the 
flow  of  blood  from  it.  As  they  lifted  him  up,  he  uttered  one 
piteous  groan,  —  the  only  complaint  which  escaped  his  lips  dur 
ing  the  whole  scene.  Lieutenant  Smith  raised  his  head  upon  his 
bosom,  almost  fearing  to  see  him  expiring  in  his  arms,  and  asked, 
"  General,  are  you  much  hurt  ?  "  He  replied,  "  No,  Mr.  Smith ; 
don't  trouble  yourself  about  me."  He  was  then  replaced  a  sec 
ond  time  upon  the  litter,  and,  under  a  continuous  shower  of 
shells  and  cannon-balls,  borne  a  half  mile  farther  to  the  rear, 
when  an  ambulance  was  found,  containing  his  chief  of  artillery, 
Colonel  Crutchfield,  who  was  also  wounded.  In  this  he  was 
placed,  and  hurried  towards  the  field  hospital  near  Wilderness 
Run.  As  the  vehicle  passed  the  house  of  Melzi  Chancellor,  Dr. 
M'Guire  met  the  party.  Colonel  Pendleton,  the  faithful  adjutant 
of  General  Jackson,  upon  ascertaining  the  misfortune  of  his  chief, 
had  taken  upon  himself  the  task  of  seeking  him,  and  bringing  him 
to  the  General's  aid.  Indeed,  one  of  the  first  requests  made  by 
the  latter  was  to  ask  for  this  well-tried  friend;  and  he  was, 
therefore,  summoned  from  the  rear,  where  he  was  busily  engaged 
organizing  the  relief  for  the  numerous  wounded  from  the  battle. 
Upon  meeting  the  sad  cavalcade,  Dr.  M'Guire  obtained  a  candle, 
and  sprung  into  the  ambulance  to  examine  the  wound.  He  found 
the  General  almost  pulseless,  but  the  hemorrhage  had  again 
ceased.  Some  alcoholic  stimulant  had  been  anxiously  sought 
for  him,  but  hitherto  only  a  few  drops  could  be  obtained.  Now, 
through  the  activity  of  the  Eev.  Mr.  Yass,  a  chaplain  in  the 
Stonewall  Brigade,  a  sufficient  quantity  of  spirits  was  found,  and 
the  patient  was  freely  stimulated.  They  then  resumed  their  way 
to  the  field  hospital  near  Wilderness  Run,  Dr.  M'Guire  support 
ing  the  General  as  he  sat. beside  him  in  the  carriage.  To  his 
anxious  inquiries  he  replied  that  he  was  now  somewhat  revived, 
but  that,  several  times  he  had  felt  as  though  he  were  about  to 


692  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

die.  This  lie  said  in  a  tone  of  perfect  calmness.  It  was,  doubt 
less,  the  literal  truth,  and  during  the  removal  ho  was  indeed 
vibrating  upon  the  very  turn  between  life  and  death.  The 
artery  of  his  left  arm  was  severed ;  and,  in  consequence  of  the 
inexperience  and  distress  of  his  affectionate  assistants,  and  yet 
more  of  the  horrible  confusion  of  the  battle,  he  had  nearly  bled 
to  death  before  his  wound  was  stanched.  Arriving  at  the  hos 
pital,  he  was  tenderly  removed  to  a  tent  which  had  been  erected 
for  him ;  where  he  was  laid  in  a  camp  bed,  and  covered  with 
blankets,  in  an  atmosphere  carefully  warmed.  Here  he  speedily 
sank  into  a  deep  sleep,  which  showed  the  thorough  prostration 
of  his  energies. 

The  melancholy  scene  which  has  now  been  simply  and  exactly 
described,  occupied  but  a  few  minutes ;  for  the  events  followed 
each  other  with  stunning  rapidity.  The  report,  of  the  discovery 
of  the  deserted  barricade  by  Colonel  Cobb,  the  order  to  General 
Rhodes  to  occupy  it,  the  attempt  to  restore  the  order  to  his  line 
of  battle,  the  advance  of  the  General  and  hi«  ^cort  down  the 
road,  his  collision  with  the  advancing  enemy,  his  hurried  retreat, 
and  the  fatal  fire  of  his  own  men,  all  followed  each  other  almost 
as  rapidly  as  they  are  here  recited.  While  he  lay  upon  the 
ground,  assisted  at  first  only  by  Captain  Wilbourne  and  his 
man,  and  afterwards  by  General  A.  P.  Hill  and  the  officers  of 
the  two  escorts,  the  battle  was  again  joined  between  Hooker  and 
the  Confederates ;  and  it  was  just  as  the  difficult  removal  of  the 
General  was  made,  that  it  raged  through  its  short  but  furious 
course.  General  Hill  had  scarcely  flown  to  assume  the  com 
mand  of  his  line,  in  order  to  resist  the  onset,  and  protect  Gen 
eral  Jackson  from  capture,  when  he  was  himself  struck  down 
with  a  violent  contusion,  and  compelled  to  leave  the  field,  sur 
rendering  the  direction  of  affairs  to  Brigadier-Generals  Rhodes 
and  Fender.  Colonel  Crutchfield,  chief-of-artillery,  and  his 


JACKSON'S   DEMEANOR.  C93 

assistant;  Major  Rogers,  attempting  to  make  an  effective  reply  to 
the  cannonade  which  swept  the  great  road,  were  both  severely 
wounded.  In  the  darkness  and  confusion,  the  Federalists  re 
gained  their  barricade,  and  pushed  back  the  right  of  the  Con 
federates  a  short  distance ;  but  here  their  successes  ended ;  and 
the  brigades  of  Hill  stubbornly  held  their  ground  in  the  thickets 
near  the  turnpike.  The  fire  now  gradually  died  away  into  a, 
fitful  skirmish,  which  was  continued  at  intervals  all  niglit,  with 
out  result  on  either  side. 

While  General  Jackson  lay  bleeding  upon  the  ground,  he  dis 
played  several  traits  very  characteristic  of  his  nature.  Amidst 
all  his  sufferings,  he  was  absolutely  uncomplaining ;  save  when 
his  agonizing  fall  wrung  a  groan  from  his  breast.  It  was  only 
in  answer  to  the  questions  of  his  friends,  that  he  said,  "  I  be 
lieve  my  arm  is  broken,"  and,  "  It  gives  me  severe  pain ;"  but 
this  was  uttered  in  a  tone  perfectly  calm  and  self-possessed. 
When  he  was  asked  whether  he  was  hurt  elsewhere,  he  replied  : 
"  Yes,  in  the  right  hand."  (He  seemed  to  be  unconscious  that 
the  other  fore-arm  was  shattered  by  a  third  ball :  nor  did  thg 
surgeons  themselves  advert  to  it,  until  they  examined  it  in  pre 
paring  for  the  amputation.)  When  he  was  asked  whether  his 
right  hand  should  not  also  be  bound  up,  he  replied :  "  No,  never 
mind ;  it  is  a  trifle."  Yet  two  of  the  bones  were  broken,  and 
the  palm  was  almost  perforated  by  the  bullet !  To  the  many 
exclamations  touching  the  source  of  his  misfortune,  he  answered 
decisively,  but  without  a  shade  of  passion :  "  All  my  wounds 
WQTC  undoubtedly  from  my  own  men;"  and  added  that  they 
were  exactly  simultaneous.  When  he  was  informed,  in  answer 
to  his  first  demand  for  the  assistance  of  Dr.  M'Guire,  that  that 
officer  must  be  now  engaged  in  his  onerous  duties  far  to  the 
rear,  and  could  not  be  immediately  brought  to  him,  he  said  to 
Captain  Wilbourne,  "Then  I  wish  you  to  get  me  a  skilful 


G94  LIFE   OP   LIEUT. -GENERAL   JACKSON. 

surgeon."  On  the  arrival  of  General  Hill,  the  anxious  inquiry 
was  made  of  him,  wnerc  a  surgeon  could  be  most  quickly  found. 
He  stated  that  Dr.  Barr,  an  assistant  surgeon  in  one  of  the  regi 
ments  of  Fender,  which  had  just  come  to  the  front,  was  near  at 
hand;  and  this  gentleman  being  called,  promptly  answered. 
General  Jackson  now  repeated  in  a  whisper,  to  General  Hill, 
the  question :  "  Is  he  a  skilful  surgeon  ?  "  He  answered  in  sub 
stance,  that  he  stood  high  in  his  brigade ;  and  that  at  most,  he 
did  not  propose  to  have  him  do  anything  until  Dr.  McGuire 
arrived,  save  the  necessary  precautionary  acts.  To  this  General 
Jackson  replied:  "Very  good;"  and  Dr.  Barr  speedily  pro 
cured  a  tourniquet  to  apply  above  the  wound :  but  finding  the 
blood  no  longer  flowing,  postponed  its  application.  When 
General  Jackson's  .field-glass  and  haversack  were  removed,  they 
were  preserved  by  Captain  Wilbourne.  The  latter  was  found 
to  contain  no  refreshments :  its  only  contents  were  a  few  official 
papers,  and  two  Gospel-tracts.  No  sooner  had  friends  began  to 
gather  around  him,  than  numerous  suggestions  were  made,  con 
cerning  the  importance  of  concealing  his  fall  from  his  troops. 
While  he  was  lying  upon  General  Hill's  breast,  that  officer  com 
manded  that  no  one  should  tell  the  men  he  was  wounded.  Gen 
eral  Jackson  opened  his  eyes,  and  looking  fixedly  upon  his  Aides 
Smith  and  Morrison,  said :  "  Tell  them  simply  that  you  have  a 
wounded  Confederate  officer."  He  recognized,  on  the  one  hand, 
the  importance  of  concealment ;  but  on  the  other  hand,  he  was 
anxious  that  the  truth  should  not  be  violated  in  any  degree, 
upon  his  account.  With  these  exceptions,  he  lay  silent  and 
passive  in  the  arms  of  his  friends ;  his  soul  doubtless  occupied 
with  silent  prayer.  As  he  was  led  past  the  column  of  Fender, 
the  unusual  attention  paid  him  escited.the  lively  curiosity  of  the 
men.  Many  asked :  "  Whom  have  you  there  ?  "  and  some  made 
vigorous  exertions  to  gain  a  view  of  his  face.  Notwithstanding 


ARM  AMPUTATED.  GO 5 

the  efforts  of  Captain  Wilbourne  to  shield  him  from  their  view, 
one  or  two  recognized  him ;  and  exclaimed,  their  faces  blanched 
with  horror  and  grief:  "  Great  God !  it  is  General  Jackson." 
Thus  the  news  of  the  catastrophe  rapidly  spread  along  the 
lines ;  but  the  men  believed  that  his  wounds  were  slight :  and 
their  sorrow  only  made  them  more  determined. 

About  midnight,  Dr.  M'Guire  summoned  as  assistants,  Drs. 
Coleman,  Black  and  Walls,  and  watched  the  pulse  of  the  Gen 
eral  for  such  evidences  of  the  re-action  of  his  exhausted  powers,  as 
would  permit  a  more  thorough  dealing  with  his  wound.  Perceiv 
ing  that  the  animal  heat  had  returned,  and  the  pulsations  had 
resumed  their  volume,  they  aroused  him ;  and  on  examining  the 
whole  extent  of  ins  injuries,  were  convinced  beyond  all  doubt, 
that  his  left  arm  should  be  immediately  removed.  Dr.  M'Guire 
now  explained  to  him  that  it  seemed  necessary  to  amputate  his 
arm ;  and  inquired  whether  he  was  willing  that  it  should  be 
done  immediately.  He  replied,  without  tremor:  "Dr.  M'Guire; 
do  for  me  what  you  think  best  j  I  am  resigned  to  whatever  is 
necessary."  Preparations  were  then  made  for  the  work.  Chlo 
roform*  was  administered  by  Dr.  Coleman;  Dr.  M'Guire,  with  a 
steady  and  deliberate  hand,  severed  the  mangled  limb  from  the 
shoulder ;  Dr.  Walls  secured  the  arteries,  and  Dr.  Black  watched 
the  pulse ;  while  Lieutenant  Smith  stood  by,  holding  the  lights. 
The  General  seemed  insensible  to  pain,  although  he  spoke  once 
or  twice,  as  though  conscious,  saying  with  a  placid  and  dreamy 
voice:  "Dr.  M'Guire;  I  am  lying1  very  comfortably."  The  ball 
was  also  extracted  from  his  right  hand,  and  the  wound  was 
dressed.  The  surgeons  then  directed  Smith  to  watch  beside  him 
the  remainder  of  the  night ;  and  after  an  interval  of  half  an 
hour,  to  arouse  him,  in  order  that  he  might  drink  a  cup  of  coffee. 
During  this  interval,  he  lay  perfectly  quiet,  as  though  sleeping : 
but  when  he  was  called,  aWoke  promptly,  and  in  full  possession 


696  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

of  his  faculties.  He  received  the  coffee,  drank  it  with  appetite,  and 
remarked  that  it  was  very  good  and  refreshing.  This  was,  indeed, 
the  first  nourishment  which  he  had  taken  since  Friday  evening. 
He  now  looked  at  the  stump  of  his  arm ;  and  comprehending  its 
loss  fully,  asked  Mr.  Smith:  "Were  you  here?"  (meaning when 
the  operation  was  performed.)  He  then,  after  a  moment's 
silence,  inquired  whether  he  had  said  anything  when  under  the 
power  of  the  chloroform ;  and  continued,  after  being  satisfied  on 
this  point,  in  substance  thus :  "  I  have  always  thought  it  wrong 
to  administer  chloroform,  in  cases  where  there  is  a  probability 
of  immediate  death.  But  it  was,  I  think,  the  most  delightful 
physical  sensation  I  ever  enjoyed.  I  had  enough  consciousness 
to  know  what  was  doing ;  and  at  one  time  thought  I  heard  the 
most  delightful  music  that  ever  greeted  my  ears.  I  believe  it 
was  the  sawing  of  the  bone.  But  I  should  dislike  above  all 
things,  to  enter  eternity  in  such  a  condition."  His  meaning  evi 
dently  was,  that  he  would  not  wish  to  be  ushered  into  that  spir 
itual  existence,  from  the  midst  of  sensations  so  thoroughly 
physical  and  illusory.  He  afterwards  exclaimed  to  other  friends ; 
"  What  an  inestimable  blessing  is  chloroform  to  the  sufferer  ! " 
His  condition  now  appeared  to  be  every  way  hopeful }  and  Mr. 
Smith  exhorted  him  to  postpone  conversation,  and  to  resign  him 
self  to  sleep.  He  acquiesced  in  this,  and  being  well  wrapped 
up,  soon  fell  into  a  quiet  slumber,  which  continued  until  nine 
o'clock  in  the  Sabbath  morning. 

Leaving  him  to  his  much  needed  sleep,  the  narrative  will  now 
return  to  the  history  t)f  the  great  battle  which  he  had  so 
gloriously  begun ;  that  the  interest  of  the  reader  in  it  may  be 
briefly  satisfied.  About  dark  on  Saturday  evening,  General 
Jackson  had  directed  Brigadier-General  Fender,  to  send  him  a 
regiment  for  a  special  service.  The  16th  North  Carolina, 
Colonel  M'Elroy,  was  sent.  Jackson  commanded  him  to 


GENERAL   STUART   IN   TEMPORARY    COMMAND.  697 

accompany  a  squadron  of  cavalry  detached  by   General  Stuart, 
to  Ely's  Ford,  where  they  would  find  a  corps  of  Federal  troops 
encamped;  to  approach  them  as  nearly  as  possible,  and  at  a 
preconcerted  signal,  to  fire  three  volleys  into  them,  with  loud 
cheers,   and    then   make    their   way  back    to   their    Brigade. 
Colonel    M'Elroy    reached    the    enemy's    encampment    about 
midnight,  and  carried  out  his  instructions  to  the  letter.     He 
returned  to  the  field  of  battle  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  ; 
and  remained  for    a  time   ignorant  alike  of  the  reasons  and 
results  of  this  strange  proceeding.      The  Federal    officers  of 
Reynolds'   corps  at  last  revealed  it.     They   stated  that  while 
resting  for  the  night  at  Ely's  Ford,  on  their  way  to  Chancellors- 
ville,  they  were  so  furiously  attacked  by  the  "Rebels"  in  the 
darkness,  that  their  leader  arrested  his  march,  and  commenced 
fortifying  his   position;   and   in    this   work   the    Sabbath   was 
consumed.     Had  this  largo  corps  arrived  at  the  main  scene  of 
battle  that  morning,   the  odds  already   so  fearful  against  the 
Confederates,  might  have  become  overpowering.     But  by  this 
adroit  manoeuvre  they  were  detained  where  they  were  wholly 
useless.     Such  was  the  last  of  the  strokes,  by  which  the  ubi 
quitous  Jackson  was  accustomed  to  astonish  and  baffle  his  foes. 
Upon  the  retirement  of  General  Hill  from  the  field,  a  hurried 
consultation  was  held  between  Colonel  Pendlcton,  the   acting 
adjutant  of  the  corps,  and  the  remaining  Generals,  touching  the 
command  of  the  troops.     The  night  was  passing  away,  and  they 
well  knew  that  the  morning  must  bring  a  fierce  renewal  of  the 
struggle ;  or  all  that  had  been  won  would  be  lost.     Brigadier 
General  Rhodes,  commanding  the  former  division  of  D.  II.  Hill, 
was  found   to  be  the   senior   officer  upon  the   field;   and  his 
modesty,  with  the   lack  of  acquaintanceship  between  him  and 
the  army,  made  him  concur  in  the  suggestion,  that  Major-Gen* 
eral  Stuart  should  be  sent  for,  and  requested  to  assume  the 
83 


698  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

direction  of  affairs  until  the  pleasure  of  the  Commander-in- Chief 
should  be  known.  This  measure  was  therefore  adopted.  It 
has  been  said  that  he  was  selected  by  General  Jackson,  to  com 
plete  the  battle  after  he  was  himself  disabled.  This  is  an  error. 
He  was  too  strict  in  his  obedience  to  the  rules  and  proprieties 
of  the  service,  to  transcend  under  any  circumstances,  his  powers 
as  the  commander  of  a  corps ;  and  he  knew  that  all  his  authority 
could  do,  was  to  transmit  his  functions  to  the  General  next  in 
rank  in  his  own  command.  If  any  other  disposition  was  to  be 
made  of  them,  he  knew  that  it  must  be  done  by  an  authority 
higher  than  his  own.  But  when  Colonel  Pendleton,  the  next 
morning,  reported  to  him  the  assumption  of  temporary  command 
by  General  Stuart  he  cheerfully  acquiesced.  In  reply  to  the 
request  of  Stuart  that  he  would  communicate,  through  Pendleton, 
his  plans  for  the  second  day,  he  answered,  that  he  preferred  to 
leave  everything  to  his  own  judgment.  This  reply  was  an 
eminent  instance  of  his  wisdom.  He  knew,  on  the  one  hand, 
that  as  all  the  reconnaissances  on  which  he  himself  had  acted, 
had  been  made  by  General  Stuart,  that  officer  was  fully  possessed 
of  the  enemy's  attitude.  But  on  the  other  hand,  he  was  not  now 
informed  what  changes  in  the  posture  of  affairs  might  have 
occurred,  which,  if  he  were  on  the  field,  might  modify  his  plans. 
To  seem  to  enjoin  upon  General  Stuart  the  execution  of  all  his 
purposes  of  yesterday,  might  therefore  impose  on  him  mischiev 
ous  trammels.  He  well  knew,  moreover,  that  the  wisdom  of  the 
methods  adopted  by  himself,  depended  in  part  on  his  own  prestige, 
his  moral  power  over  his  men,  his  celerity  in  action,  the  momentum 
of  his  tremendous  will;  properties  in  which  no  other  leader 
might  be  able  to  imitate  him.  He  therefore  left  General  Stuart 
to  adopt  his  own  plan  of  battle,  believing,  what  was  doubtless 
true,  that  an  inferior  conception  of  that  commander's  mind, 
applied  by  him,  would  be  more  successful  than  the  impracticable 


HE  DOES  NOT  INTERFERE  WITH   STU ART'S   COMMAND.          699 

effort  to  unite  the  plan  of  one,  with  the  execution  of  an 
other. 

But  both  General  Stuart  and  General  Rhodes  proved  them 
selves  worthy  of  the  command :  and  both  of  them  followed  their 
great  exemplar  to  a  soldier's  grave,  in  the  subsequent  campaigns 
of  1864.  The  brilliant  execution  of  General  Jackson's  orders 
by  Rhodes  at  Chancellorsville,  won  his  warm  applause ;  and  he 
declared  that  his  commission  as  Major-General  should  date  from 
the  2nd  of  May :  when,  with  one  division,  he  drove  before  him 
the  whole  right  wing  of  Hooker  for  three  hours.  This  purpose 
of  General  Jackson  the  Government  fulfilled  immediately  after 
his  death;  and  General  Rhodes  was  promoted  and  placed  in 
permanent  command  of  the  division.  He  continued  to  lead  this 
with  consummate  gallantry  and  skill,  until  the  disastrous  battle 
of  Winchester,  in  the  autumn  of  1864;  when  he  fell  at  its  head, 
in  the  execution  of  an  attack  against  the  enemy  as  splendid  and 
as  successful  as  that  of  Chancellorsville.  And  with  his  fall  vic 
tory  departed  from  the  Confederate  banners,  to  perch  upon  those 
of  the  oppressors. 

J»nt  we  are  not  left  in  doubt  concerning  General  Jackson's 
own  designs.  Speaking  afterward  to  his  friends,  he  said  that  if 
he  had  had  an  hour  more  of  daylight,  or  had  not  been  wounded, 
he  should  have  occupied  the  outlets  toward  Ely's  and  United 
States  fords,  as  well  as  those  on  the  west.  (It  has  been  already 
explained  that  of  the  four -roads  diverging  from  Chancellorsville, 
the  one  which  leads  north,  after  proceeding  for  a  mile  and  a  half 
m  that  direction, 'turns  northwestward,  and  divides  into  two,  the 
left  hand  leading  to  Ely's,  and  the  right  to  United  States  ford. 
And  the  point  of  their  junction,  afterwards  so  carefully  fortified 
by  Hooker,  was  on  Saturday  night  entirely  open.)  General 
Jackson  proposed,  therefore,  to  move  still  farther  to  his  left,  dur 
ing  the  night,  and  occupy  that  point.  He  declared  that  if  he  had 


700  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

been  able  to  do  so,  the  dispersion  or  capture  of  Hooker's  army 
would  have  been  certain.  "  For,"  said  he,  "  my  men  sometimes 
fail  to  drive  the  enemy  from  their  position  j  but  the  enemy  are 
never  able  to  drive  my  men  from  theirs."  It  has  already  been 
seen,  that  in  the  confusion  of  his  fall,  aa  important  vantage- 
ground,  won  by  him  almost  without  loss,  was  forfeited ;  and  it 
was  necessary  to  fight  over  this  ground  again  on  the  morrow. 
General  Stuart  now  departed  from  the  plans  of  General  Jackson, 
by  extending  his  right  rather  than  his  left,  so  as  to  approximate 
the  Confederate  troops  on  the  southeast  of  Chancellorsville, 
under  the  immediate  command  of  General  Lee.  Thus,  the 
weight  of  his  attack  was  thrown  against  the  southwest  side  of 
Hooker's  position.  General  Jackson  would  rather  have  frown 
it  against  the  northwest.  But  the  true  design  of  the  latter  was 
to  assume  the  defensive  for  a  few  hours,  on  Sabbath  morning, 
after  occupying  both  the  Orange  turnpike,  and  the  road  to  Ely's 
ford.  He  purposed  to  stand  at  bay  there,  and  receive,  amidst 
the  dense  thickets,  the  attack,  which  he  knew  this  occupation  of 
his  line  of  retreat  would  force  upon  Hooker ;  while  General  Lee 
thundered  upon  his  other  side.  Then,  after  permitting  him  to 
break  his  strength  in  these  vain  assaults,  he  would  have  advanced 
upon  his  disheartened  masses,  over  ground  defended  by  no 
works ;  and  Hooker  would  have  been  crushed  between  the  upper 
and  the  nether  mill-stones.  To  comprehend  the  plausibility  of 
this  design,  it  must  be  remembered  that  Chancellorsville,  with  its 
few  adjoining  farms,  was  an  island,  completely  environed  by  a 
sea  of  forests,  through  whose  tangled  depths  infantry  could 
scarcely  march  in  line ;  and  the  passage  of  carriages  was  impos 
sible.  Of  the  four  roads  which  centred  at  the  Villa,  General 
Lee  held  two,  the  old  turnpike,  and  the  plank-road,  leading 
toward  Fredericksburg.  General  Jackson  proposed  to  occupy 
the  other  two.  Had  this  been  done,  the  strong  defence  of  the 


MESSAGES   TO   GENERAL    LEE.  701 

surrounding  woods,  in  which  Hooker  trusted,  would  have  been 
his  ruin ;  he  would  have  found  his  imaginary  castle  his  prison' 
The  necessity  which  compelled  him  again  to  take  the  aggressive 
in  the  leafy  woods,  would  have  thrown  the  advantage  vastly  to 
General  Jackson;  by  rendering  the  powerful  Federal  artillery, 
in  which  they  so  much  trusted,  a  cypher,  and  by  requiring  the 
Federals  to  come  to  close  quarters  with  the  terrible  Confederate 
infantry.  And  this  was  a  work  always  more  dreaded  by  them, 
than  the  meeting  of  a  "  bear  bereaved  of  her  whelps."  But  on 
the  southwest  sicle  of  his  position,  within  the  open  farm  of 
Chancellor,  Hooker  had  constructed  a  second  and  interior  line 
of  works,  upon  the  brow  of  a  long  declivity,  consisting  of  a 
row  of  lunettes  pierced  for  artillery,  and  of  rifle-pits.  General 
Stuart's  line  of  battle,  after  running  the  barricade,  once  before 
won  by  General  Jackson,  and  emerging  from  the  belt  of  woods 
which  enveloped  it,  found  themselves  confronted  by  these  works, 
manned  by  numerous  batteries;  and  hence  the  cruel  loss  at 
which  the  splendid  victory  of  Sunday  was  won. 

The  Brigadiers  of  General  Jackson's  corps,  after  determining 
to  offer  the  temporary  command  to  General  Stuart,*scnt  Captain 
Wilbourne  to  General  Lee,  to  announce  what  had  been  done, 
and  to  request  that  he  would  himself  come  to  that  side  and 
assume  the  direction  of  affairs.  That  officer,  accompanied  by 
Captain  Eotchkiss,  reached  the  cluster  of  pines  east  of  Chancel- 
lorsville,  where  he  lay,  before  the  break  of  day,  and  they  an 
nounced  themselves  to  his  Chief-of-Staff.  They  found  the  General 
lying  upon  the  ground,  beneath  a  thick  pine-tree ;  and  he  at  once 
requested  them  to  come  to  him  and  tell  the  news.  They  related 
the  incidents  of  the  battle,  and  described  the  glorious  victory  ; 
but  when  they  told  the  wounding  of  their  General,  he  said,  after 
a  pause,  in  which  he  was  struggling  to  suppress  his  emotion, 
"Ah!  any  victory  is  dearly  bought  which  deprives  us  of  the 


702  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

services  of  Jackson,  even  for  a  short  time."  When  reminded 
that  General  Rhodes  was  now  the  senior  officer  in  the  corps,  he 
said  he  was  a  gallant,  efficient,  and  energetic  officer.  But  he 
acquiesced  in  the  selection  of  General  Stuart  to  lead  the  troops 
on  that  day,  and,  after  a  multitude  of  inquiries,  called  his  adju 
tant  to  write  instructions  for  him.  He  also  dictated  that  gener 
ous  note  to  General  Jackson,  which  has  conferred  equal  honor 
on  its  author  and  its  recipient,  and  which  deserves  to  be  im 
mortalized  along  with  the  fame  of  the  two  noble  men.  It  was 
in  these  words :  — 

"  GENERAL  :  I  have  just  received  your  note,  informing  me  that 
you  were  wounded.  I  cannot  express  my  regret  at  the  occur 
rence.  Could  I  have  directed  events,  I  should  have  chosen,  for 
the  good  of  the  country,  to  have  been  disabled  in  your  stead. 

"  I  congratulate  you  upon  the  victory  which  is  due  to  your 
skill  and  energy.  • 

"  Most  truly  yours, 

(Signed)     «R.  E.  LEE,  General." 

One  of  the*  messengers  then  informed  him  that  General  Jack 
son,  after  his  wounding,  had  only  expressed  this  thought  con 
cerning  the  future  management  of  the  campaign :  that  "  the 
^nemy  should  be  pressed  in  the  morning."  General  Lee  replied, 
fl  Those  people  shall  be  pressed  immediately  " ;  arose,  and  in  a 
.few  moments  was  in  the  saddle,  and  busy  with  his  dispositions 
for  attack.  Meanwhile,  General  Stuart,  on  his  side,  brought  for 
ward  the  Stonewall  Brigade  from  the  junction  of  the  Orange  and 
Culpepper  plank-roads,  and  joined  it  to  his  'line  of  battle.  The 
remainder  of  the  night  was  spent  in  busy  preparation.  When 
the  light  appeared,  both  wings  of  the  Confederate  army  assumed 
the  aggressive,  and  advanced  against  the  Federal  lines.  General 
Lee  thundered  from  the  east  and  south,  and  General  Stuart  from 


BATTLE   OF    SUNDAY.  703 

the  west.  The  latter;  especially,  hurled  his  infantry  impetuously 
against  their  enemies,  and  a  furious  and  bloody  struggle  ensued. 
Twenty-one  thousand  men*  now  composed  the  whole  of  Jackson's 
corps  present  upon  the  field ;  and  these,  assisted  by  the  two  divis 
ions  of  M'Laws  and  Anderson,  now  assailed  eighty  thousand. 
In  three  hours,  seven  thousand  men,  one-third  of  the  whole  num 
ber,  were  killed  and  wounded  from  the  corps.  But  the  enemy 
were  steadily  driven  from  every  work,  with  frightful  losses  in 
killed,  wounded,  and  prisoners,  until  they  took  refuge  in  a  new 
line  of  entrenchments,  covering  the  United  States  ford.  Seven 
thousand  captives,  forty  thousand  muskets,  and  a  quantity  of 
spoil  almost  incredible  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors. 
When  the  general  onset  was  ordered  by  Stuart,  the  Stonewall 
Brigade  advanced  with  the  cry,  "  Charge  ;  and  remember 
Jackson !  "  Even  as  they  moved  from  their  position,  their 
General,  Paxton,  his  friend  and  former  adjutant,  was  struck  dead 
where  he  stood  1  His  men  rushed  forward,  unconscious  of  his 
absence,  and,  without  other  leader  than  the  NAME  which  formed 
their  battle-cry,  swept  everything  before  them. 

The  sequel  of  the  campaign  of  Chancellorsville  may  now  be 
related  in  a  few  words.  While  this  great  struggle  was  raging 
there,  General  Sedgwick  retired  to  the  north  bank  of  the  Rap- 
pahannock,  and  laying  down  his  bridges  again  opposite  to  Fred- 
ericksburg,  on  Sunday  morning  crossed  into  the  town,  and  with 
one  corps  captured  Marye's  Hill  by  a  surprise.  His  other  corps 
were  despatched,  through  Stafford,  to  the  support  of  Hooker, 
while  he  retained  about  eighteen  thousand  men.  General  Early 
now  confronted  Marye's  Hill  on  another  line,  while  Sedgwick, 
leaving  a  detachment  to  hold  him  in  check,  marched  westward 
to  open  his  way  to  Hooker,  at  Chaneellorsville.  But  the  fate 
of  that  General  had  been  already  sealed.  General  Lee  was 
now  at  liberty  to  send  a  part  of  his  force  to  meet  Sedgwick  j  so 


704  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

that  on  Monday,  lie  found  himself  confronted  and  arrested  in  his 
march  by  his  troops,  while  General  Early  re-captured  Marye's 
Hill,  and  cut  off  his  retreat  toward  Fredericksburg.  Nothing  now 
remained  for  him  save  a  retreat  across  the  river  at  Banks's 
Ford,  —  a  point  between  that  town  and  Hooker's  position, — 
which,  by  the  aid  of  his  artillery  upon  the  northern  bank,  he 
effected,  though  not  without  heavy  loss.  The  next  day,  his  chief 
also  made  preparation  to  retire ;  and  during  the  night  of  Tues 
day,  withdrew  the  remainder  of  his  army.  Thus  ended  the 
invasion,  and  the  short  career  of  Hooker  as  a  commander.  His 
cavalry,  which  had  met  with  slight  resistance,  had  penetrated 
as  far  south  as  the  River  James,  which  they  reached  fifty  miles 
above  Richmond.  Thence  they  spread  themselves  downward 
through  the  country,  and  some  detachments  had  the  audacity  to 
venture  within  ten  miles  of  the  city.  They  caused  temporary 
interruptions  in  the  Central  and  Fredericksburg  Railroads,  and 
the  James  River  Canal;  and  then,  upon  hearing  of  Hooker's 
disasters,  retired  precipitate^,  having  effected  no  other  result 
than  a  villanous  plundering  of  the  peaceful  inhabitants. 

The  short  campaign  of  Chancellor sville  was  the  most  brilliant 
of  all  which  General  Lee  had  hitherto  conducted,  and  stamped 
his  fame  as  that  of  a  commander  of  transcendent  courage  and 
ability.  With  forty-five  thousand  men,  he  had  met  and  defeated 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand,  who  were  equipped  for 
their  onset  with  everything  which  lavish  wealth,  careful  disci 
pline,  and  deliberate  preparation,  could  provide.  He  had  in 
flicted  on  them  a  total  loss  nearly  equal  to  his  whole  army,  had 
captured  enough  small  arms  and  camp  equipage  to  furnish  forth 
every  man  in  his  .command,  and,  in  precisely  a  week,  had  hurled 
back  the  fragments  of  this  multitudinous  host  to  its  starting 
point,  baffled  and  broken.  His  line  of  defence  was  successfully 
turned  on  his  right  and  left,  by  an  adroit  movement ;  his  commu- 


RESULTS   EVINCE   LEE'S   GREATNESS.  705 

nications  severed ;  and  his  little  army  seemingly  placed  within 
the  jaws  of  destruction.  But  with  an  impregnable  equanimity, 
he  had  awaited  the  full  development  of  his  adversary's  designs ; 
and  then,  disregarding  for  the  time  those  parts  of  his  assault 
which  his  wisdom  showed  him  were  not  vital,  had  concentrated 
his  chief  strength  upon  the  important  point,  and  with  a  towering 
courage  which  no  odds  could  appal,  had  assailed  his  gigantic 
adversary  on  his  vulnerable  side  with  resistless  fury.  How 
much  of  the  credit  of  this  unexampled  success  is  due  to  the 
assistance  of  General  Jackson,  has  already  been  indicated.  But 
the  history  would  be  incomplete  if  it  failed  to  refute  the  state 
ment,  which  has  been  made  by  some  of  the  pretended  assertors 
of  Jackson's  fame ;  that  the  victories  of  Lee  were  due  wholly 
to  his  military  genius,  and  ceased  when  he  fell.  The  reputation 
of  Jackson  does  not  need  to  be  supported  by  these  invidious 
follies.  The  Commander-in- Chief  was  the  first  to  recognize, 
with  unrivalled  grace  and  magnanimity,  his  obligations  to  Jack 
son's  valued  assistance.  But  he  fell  in  the  midst  of  the  struggle, 
and  Lee  conducted  it  to  its  close  with  the  same  skill,  genius,  and 
happy  audacity,  with  which  it  was  commenced.  It  was  the  glory 
of  Virginia  that,  superior  to  the  lioness,  which  rears  but  one 
young  lion,  her  fruitful  breasts  could  nourish  at  once  the  great 
ness  of  more  than  one  heroic  son. 

69 


706  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 


CHAPTER    XX. 

DEATH  AND   BURIAL. 

THE  history  of  Jackson  now  turns  finally  from  the  camp  and 
the  battle-field,  to  the  sacred  quiet  of  the  sick  room,  and  the 
dying  bed.  The  far  different  scenes  which  are  to  be  unfolded, 
may  be  appropriately  introduced  by  a  reference  to  the  calm  and 
thorough  acquiescence  of  General  Jackson  in  his  sudden  help 
lessness.  So  eager  and  determined  a  spirit  as  his  might  have 
been  expected  to  chafe  at  his  enforced  inactivity  at  such  a  time. 
It  might  be  expected  that  he  would  now  be  seen,  like  an 
eagle  with  broken  pinion,  beating  against  the  bars  of  his  cage, 
with  a  tumultuous  struggle  to  soar  again  into  the  storm-cloud 
which  was  his  native  air.  Such  anticipations  did  injustice  to 
the  Christian  temper  which  he  constantly  cultivated.  To  the 
amazement  of  his  own  nearest  friends,  from  the  moment  he  felt 
the  hand  of  Providence  laid  upon  his  efforts,  in  the  shape  of 
those  wounds,  he  dismissed  all  the  cares  of  command,  and  the 
heat  of  his  soul  sank  into  a  sweet  and  placid  calm.  He  who, 
just  before,  seemed  to  be  pursuing  victory  with  a  devouring 
hunger,  was  now  all  acquiescence.  He  cast  upon  God  every 
anxiety  for  his  country,  and  seemed  unconscious  of  the  grand 
designs  which,  the  day  before,  were  burning  in  his  heart.  "When 
1^  awoke  from  his  long  and  quiet  slumber  on  the  Sabbath  morn 
ing,  the  distant  sounds  of  a  furious  cannonade  told  his  experi 
enced  ear,  that  a  great  battle  was  again  raging.  But  the 


JACKSON'S  CHRISTIAN  SUBMISSION.  707 

thought  did  not  quicken  his  pulse,  nor  draw  from  him  a  single 
expression  of  restlessness.  lie  waited  for  news  of  the  result 
with  full  faith  in  God,  and  in  the  valor  of  his  army,  only  express 
ing  such  anxieties  as  an  affectionate  female  might  feel/  for  the 
safety  of  his  comrades  in  arms. 

His  first  act,  after  receiving  refreshments,  was  to  request 
Lieut.  Morrison  to  go  to  Richmond,  and  bring  Mrs.  Jackson  to 
his  bedside.  He  then  admitted  his  chaplain,  Kev.  Mr.  Lacy,  who 
had  just  arrived,  and  learned  his  misfortune,  to  his  tent.  As  he 
entered,  and  saw  the  stump  where  the  left  arm  had  lately  been, 
he  exclaimed  in  distress,  "  Oh,  General  !  what  a  calamity  ! " 
Jackson  first  thanked  him,  with  his  usual  courtesy,  for  his  sym 
pathy,  and  then  proceeded,  with  marked  deliberation  and  empha 
sis,  as  though  delivering  his  Christian  testimony  touching  God's 
dealing  with  him,  to  speak  in  substance  thus  j  and  at  a  length 
which  was  unusual  with  his  taciturn  habits.  "  You  see  me 
severely  wounded,  but  not  depressed ;  not  unhappy.  I  believe 
that  it  has  been  done  according  to  God's  holy  will,  and  I  acquiesce 
entirely  in  it.  You  may  think  it  strange ;  but  you  never  saw  me 
more  perfectly  contented  than  I  am  to-day  j  for  I  am  sure  that 
my  Heavenly  Father  designs  this  affliction  for  my  good.  I  am 
perfectly  satisfied,  that  either  in  this  life,  or  in  that  which  is  to 
come,  I  shall  discover  that  what  is  now  regarded  as  a  calamity. 
is  a  blessing.  And  if  it  appears  a  great  calamity,  (as  it  surely 
will  be  a  great  inconvenience,  to  be  deprived  of  my  arm,)  it 
will  result  in  a  great  blessing.  I  can  wait,  until  God,  in  his  own 
time,  shall  make  known  to  me  the  object  he  has  in  thus  afflicting 
me.  But  why  should  I  nqt  rather  rejoice  in  it  as  a  blessing,  and 
not  look  on  it  as  a  calamity  at  all  ?  If  it  were  in  my  power  to 
replace  my  arm,  I  would  not  dare  to  do  it,  unless  I  could  know 
it  was  the  will  of  my  Heavenly  Father." 

He  then  spoke,  in  answer  to  inquiries,  of  all  the  incidents  of 


708  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

his  fall,  with  entire  freedom  and  quiet.  After  a  little  he  added> 
that  he  thought  when  he  fell  from  the  litter,  that  he  should  die 
upon  the  field,  and  gave  himself  up  into  the  hands  of  his  Heav 
enly  Father  without  a  fear.  He  declared  that  he  was  in  posses 
sion  of  perfect  peace,  while  thus  expecting  immediate  death.  "  It 
has  been,"  he  said,  "a  precious  experience  to  me,  that  I  was 
brought  face  to  face  with  death,  and  found  all  was  well.  I  then 
learned  an  important  lesson,  that  one  who  has  been  the  subject 
of  converting  grace,  and  is  the  child  of  God,  can,  in  the  midst 
of  the  severest  sufferings,  fix  the  thoughts  upon  God  and  heav 
enly  things,  and  derive  great  comfort  and  peace :  but,  that  one 
who  had  never  made  his  peace  with  God  would  be  unable  to 
control  his  mind,  under  such  sufferings,  so  as  to  understand 
properly  the  way  of  salvation,  and  repent  and  believe  on  Christ. 
^1  felt  that  if  I  had  neglected  the  salvation  of  my  soul  before, 
^  would  have  been  too  late  then." 

These  are  nearly  the  exact  words,  in  which  this  valuable  wit 
ness  was  borne  by  General  Jackson ;  for  the  minister,  impressed 
with  their  solemn  weight,  charged  his  memory  with  them,  and 
speedily  committed  them  to  writing.  It  is  needless  to  moralize 
upon  them,  in  order  that  their  lesson  may  be  felt  by  every  reader. 
The  General  was  disposed  to  speak  yet  more  upon  these  themes ; 
but  acquiesced  in  the  friendly  caution  of  his  nurse  and  physician, 
and  remained  for  a  long  time  in  perfect  quiet. 

About  eleven  o'clock,  A.  M.,  Captain  Douglass,  his  Assistant 
Inspector,  arrived  from  the  field  with  definite  news  of  the  victory, 
and  taking  his  faithful  nurse,  Lieutenant  Smith  aside,  detailed 
such  things  as  he  thought  would  most  interest  the  General.  The 
latter  went  into  the  tent,  and  recited  them  to  him,  relating,  among 
other  things  the  magnificent  onset  of  the  Stonewall  Brigade. 
General  Stuart  had  gone  to  them  at  the  crisis  of  the  battle,  and 
pointing  out  to  them  the  work  which  he  wished  them  to  do,  had 


HIS   REMARKS   OX   THE   VICTORY.  709 

commanded  them  to  "charge  and  remember  Jackson ! "  Where 
upon  they  had  sprung  forward,  and  driving  before  them  three 
fold  numbers  with  irresistible  enthusiasm,  had  decided  the  great 
day.  The  General  listened  with  glistening  eyes,  and  after  a 
strong  effort  to  repress  his  tears  said ;  "  It  was  just  like  them 
to  do  so;  just  like  them.  They  are  a  noble  body  of  men." 
Smith  replied;  "They  have  indeed  behaved  splendidly;  but 
you  can  easily  suppose,  General,  that  it  was  not  without  a  loss 
of  many  valuable  men."  His  anxiety  was  immediately  aroused ; 
and  he  asked  quickly :  "  Have  you  heard  of  any  one  that  is 
killed?"  Said  Smith,  "Yes  sir;  I  am  sorry  to  say,  they  have 
lost  their  commander."  He  exclaimed:  " Paxton ?  Paxton ?  " 
Smith. — "  Yes  sir,  he  has  fallen."  Thereupon  he  turned  his  face 
to  the  wall,  closed  his  eyes,  and  remained  a  long  time  quiet, 
laboring  to  suppress  his  emotion.  He  then,  without  any  ather 
expression  of  his  own  sense  of  bereavement,  began  to  speak  in  a 
serious  and  tender  strain  of  the  genius  and  virtues  of  that  officer. 
Smith  said  that  Mr.  Lacy  had  talked  confidentially  with  Gen 
eral  Paxton  about  his  spiritual  interests,  had  found  him  by  no 
means  the  stranger,  that  some  supposed  him,  to  the  religion  of 
the  heart,  and  believed  him  a  regenerate  man.  Jackson  replied, 
in  a  tone  of  high  satisfaction :  "  That's  good ;  that's  good ! "  It 
may  be  added  in  confirmation  of  this  judgment,  that  the  last  oc 
cupation  of  General  Paxton  on  the  battle-field,  after  he  had 
placed  his  regiments  in  position,  was  to  employ  the  interval  of 
leisure  in  reading  his  New  Testament ;  and  that  as  he  received 
the  order  to  carry  them  into  action,  he  replaced  the  book  in 
his  pocket,  and  accompanied  his  command  to  move,  with  a  brief 
exhortation  to  those  around  him,  to  entrust  their  safety  into  the 
hand  of  the  Almighty,  in  the  faithful  performance  of  their  duty. 
It  was  by  this  Christian  courage,  that  the  victories  of  the  Con 
federacy  were  won. 


710  LIFE   OF    LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

General  Jackson  now  directed  Lieutenant  Smith  to  obtain 
materials  for  writing,  and  dictated  to  him  a  note  to  General 
Lee.  In  the  most  unpretending  words,  he  stated  that  he  had 
been  disabled  by  his  wounds,  and  had  accordingly  demitted  his 
command  to  the  General  next  him  in  rank,  A.  P.  Hill.  He 
then  congratulated  the  Commander-in-Chief  upon  the  great  vie 
tory  which  God  had  that  day  vouchsafed  to  his  arms.  He 
received  soon  after  the  note  of  General  Lee,  which  was  given 
above.  When  this  was  read  to  him,  he  was  evidently  much 
gratified ;  and  after  a  little  pause,  said :  "  General  Lee  is  very 
kind :  but  he  should  give  the  glory  to  God."  At  a  later  hour  he 
remarked :  "Our  movement  yesterday  was  a  great  success : 
I  think,  the  most  successful  military  movement  of  my  life.  But 
I  expect  to  receive  far  more  credit  for  it  than  I  deserve.  Most 
men  will  think  that  I  had  planned  it  all  from  the  first ;  but  it 
was  not  so  —  I  simply  took  advantage  of  circumstances  as  they 
were  presented  to  me  in  the  providence  of  God.  I  feel  that  His 
hand  led  me :  Let  us  give  Him  all  the  glory."  These  words 
undoubtedly  give  the  most  exact  representation  of  the  character 
of  his  strategy.  "While  no  commander  was  ever  more  pains 
taking  in  his  forecast,  none  was  ever  fuller  of  ready  resource,  or 
more  prompt  to  modify  his  plans  according  to  the  new  circum 
stances  which  emerged.  And  when  he  was  once  possessed  of 
the  posture  of  affairs,  his  decision  was  as  swift  as  it  was  correct. 
The  plan  of  attacking  Hooker  from  the  west  was  conceived  and 
matured  on  the  evening  of  Friday,  almost  in  a  moment.  At  that 
time  he  met  General  Stuart  at  the  old  furnace  in  front  of  Chan- 
cellorsville  j  he  gained  a  view  thence  of  the  comparative  altitude 
of  that  place;  he  saw  the  position  of  the  Federal  batteries 
which  Stuart  was  then  engaging ;  and,  at  a  glance,  divined  thence 
the  disposition  of  Hooker's  forces ;  he  learned  the  absence  of 
the  hostile  cavalry;  and  the  friendly  screen  of  forests  which 


711 


surrounded  Chancellorsville  was  described  to  him.  It  was  then 
that  his  decision  was  made ;  and  after  a  few  moments  anxious 
conference  with  General  Stuart,  he  rode  rapidly  back  to  seek 
General  Lee,  and  to  communicate  his  conclusion  to  him. 

During  the  Sabbath,  General  Lee  sent  word  to  him  that  he 
regarded  the  Wilderness  as  so  exposed  to  the  insults  of  the  Fed 
eral  cavalry,  that  it  would  be  prudent  to  remove  to  Guinea's 
Station  as  soon  as  possible.  Dr.  M'Guire  therefore  determined 
to  attempt  the  journey  on  the  morrow.  The  General  hoped, 
after  resting  there  for  a  day  or  two,  to  proceed  to  Ashland,  a 
rural  village  on  the  same  railroad,  twelve  miles  from  Richmond, 
and  thence  to  his  beloved  Lexington.  He  dreaded  the  bustle  of 
the  capital,  and  sighed  for  the  quiet  of  his  home ;  where,  he  said, 
the  pure  mountain  air  would  soon  heal  his  wounds,  and  invigor 
ate  his  exhausted  body.  On  Monday  morning  he  appeared  so 
exceedingly  well,  that  it  was  determined  to  attempt  the  journey. 
A  mattress  was  placed  in  an  ambulance,  and  he  was  laid  upon 
it,  with  every  appliance  for  his  comfort  which  could  be  devised. 
Dr.  M'Guire  took  his  place  within,  by  his  side,  while  Lieutenant 
Smith  rode  near,  and  Mr.  Hotchkiss,  with  a  party  of  pioneers, 
preceded  the  vehicle,  removing  everything  from  the  road,  which 
might  cause  a  jostle  to  the  sufferer.  He  seemed  bright  and 
cheerful  during  the  journey,  and  conversed  with  spirit  concern 
ing  military  affairs  and  religion*  The  route  taken  led  southward, 
by  Spottsylvania  Court  House,  and  the  distance  to  Guinea's  was 
thus  made  twenty-five  miles.  The  road  was  encumbered  by  the 
army  teamsters,  usually  a  rude  and  uncouth  race,  conveying  sup 
plies  to  the  army  at  Chancellorsville.  But  when  they  were  told 
that  the  ambulance  contained  the  wounded  General,  they  made 
way  for  it  with  tender  respect ;  and  their  frequent  reply  to  the 
escort  was :  "•!  wish  it  was  I,  who  was  wounded."  At  nightfall, 
the  party  reached  the  house  of  Mr.  Chandler,  near  the  railroad 


712  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSOX. 

station;  whose  hospitality  General  Jackson  had  shared  the  pre 
vious  winter,  when  he  first  canie  from  the  Valley.  Here  he  was 
gladly  received,  and  everything  possible.was  done  for  his  com 
fort  ;  for  it  was  a  notable  trait  of  his  character,  that  he  inspired 
in  all  the  people,  and  especially  in  the  purest  and  most  Christian, 
that  unbounded  devotion,  which  counted  every  exertion  made 
for  him  a  precious  privilege.  The  house  of  Mr.  Chandler  was 
already  full  of  wounded  officers,  to  whom  he  sent,  by  his  atten 
dants,  most  courteous  and  sympathizing  messages.  He  arrived 
at  this  resting  place  wearied  and  painful,  complaining  of  some 
nausea,  and  pain  in  his  bruised  side ;  but  still  declared  that  he 
had  made  the  journey  with  unexpected  comfort,  for  which  he 
should  be  very  grateful  to  God.  Keferring  to  his  previous 
advantage  in  the  use  of  the  remedies  of  Prcissnitz,  he  earnestly 
entreated  that  wet  towels  should  now  be  placed  on  his  stomach 
and  side.  Dr.  M'Guire  consenting  to  this,  the  ambulance  was 
arrested,  fresh  water  was  obtained  from  a  spring  on  the  road 
side,  and  the  application  was  made,  as  he  declared,  to  his  great 
relief.  When  he  was  removed  to  his  bed  at  Mr.  Chandler's,  he 
took  some  supper  with  relish,  and  then  spent  the  night  in  quiet 
sleep. 

During  this  journey,  it  has  been  remarked,  General  Jackson 
appeared  full  of  vivacity  and  hope,  conversing  with  his  physi 
cian,  his  chaplain,  and  Mr.  Smith,  on  every  topic  of  common 
interest.  He  referred  again  to  the  Stonewall  Brigade,  and  to 
the  proposal  which  was  mooted  among  them,  to  ask  formal 
authority  from  the  Government  to  assume  that  name  as  their 
own,  on  their  rolls  and  colors.  He  said  with  enthusiasm: 
"  They  are  a  noble  body  of  patriots ;  when  this  war  is  ended, 
the  survivors  will  be  proud  to  say :  '  I  was  a  member  of  the  old 
Stonewall  Brigade.'  The  Government  ought  certainly  to  accede 
to  their  request,  and  authorize  them  to  assume  this  title  j  for  it 


HIS   RELIGIOUS   CONVERSATION.  713 

was  fairly  earned."  He  then,  with  characteristic  modesty, 
added,  that  "  the  name,  Stonewall,  ought  to  be  attached  wholly 
to  the  men  of  the  Brigade,  and  not  to  him ;  for  it  was  their 
steadfast  heroism  which  had  earned  it  at  First  Manassa's." 
Some  one  asked  him  of  the  plan  of  campaign  which  Hooker 
had  just  attempted  to  execute.  He  said :  "  It  was,  in  the  main, 
a  good  conception,  sir;  an  excellent  plan.  But  he  should  not 
have  sent  away  his  cavalry ;  that  was  his  great  blunder.  It  was 
that  which  enabled  me  to  turn  him,  without  his  being  aware  of 
it,  and  to  take  him  by  his  rear.  Had  he  kept  his  cavalry  with 
him,  his  plan  would  have  been  a  very  good  one."  It  may  be 
added,  in  accordance  with  this  verdict  of  the  highest  authority, 
that  the  strategy  of  the  Federal  Generals,  from  that  of  M'Dowell 
on  the  first  field  of  Manassa's,  onward,  was  usually  good  enough, 
had  it  been  seconded  by  the  courage  of  their  troops.  The 
Federal  is  rarely  found  deficient  in  anything  which  cunning  or 
diligence  can  supply ;  his  defect  is  in  the  manhood  of  the  sol 
diery. 

On  Monday  morning,  General  Jackson  awoke  refreshed,  and 
his  wounds  were  pronounced  to  be  in  an  admirable  condition. 
He  now  began  to  look  forward  to  his  restoration  to  his  com 
mand,  and  inquired  of  Dr.  M'Guire,  how  many  weeks  would 
probably  elapse  before  he  would  be  fit  for  the  field.  He  also" 
requested  his  chaplain  to  visit  him  at  ten  o'clock  each  morning, 
for  reading  the  Scriptures  and  prayer.  These  seasons  were  the 
occasions  of  much  religious  conversation,  in  which  he  unbosomed 
himself  with  unusual  freedom  and  candor.^  He  declared  that  his 
faith  and  hope  in  his  Redeemer  were  clear.  He  said  he  was 
perfectly  willing  to  die  at  that  time ;  but  believed  that  his  time 
was  not  yet  come,  that  his  Heavenly  Father  still  had  a  work  for 
him  to  do  in  defence  of  his  beloved  country,  and  that  until  that 
was  completed,  he  should  be  spared.  During  these  morning 

90 


714  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

hours,  he  delighted  to  enlarge  on  his  favorite  topics  of  practical 
religion ;  which  were  such  as  these :  The  Christian  should  carry 
his  religion  into  everything.  Christianity  makes  man  better  in 
any  lawful  calling;  it  equally  makes  the  general  a  better  com 
mander,  and  the  shoemaker  a  better  mechanic.  In  the  case  of 
the  cobbler,  or  the  tailor,  for  instance,  religion  will  produce 
more  care  in  promising  work,  more  punctuality,  and  more  fidelity 
in  executing  it,  from  conscientious  motives ;  and  these  homely 
examples  were  fair  illustrations  of  its  value  in  more  exalted 
functions.  So,  prayer  aids  any  man,  in  any  lawful  business,  not 
only  by  bringing  down  the  divine  blessing,  which  is  its  direct 
and  prime  object,  but  by  harmonizing  his  own  mind  and  heart. 
In  the  commander  of  an  army  at  the  critical  hour,  it  calmed  his 
perplexities,  moderated  his  anxieties,  steadied  the  scales  of  judg 
ment,  and  thus  preserved  him  from  exaggerated  and  rash  con 
clusions.  Again  he  urged,  that  every  act  of  man's  life  should 
be  a  religious  act.  He  recited  with  much  pleasure,  the  ideas  of 
Doddridge.  where  he  pictured  himself  as  spiritualizing  every 
act  of  his  daily  life ;  as  thinking  when  he  washed  himself,  of  the 
cleansing  blood  of  Calvary;  as  praying  while  he  put  on  his 
garments,  that  he  might  be  clothed  with  the  righteousness  of 
the  saints ;  as  endeavoring,  while  he  was  eating,  to  feed  upon 
the  Bread  of  Heaven.  General  Jackson  now  also  enforced  his 
favorite  dogma,  that  the  Bible  furnished  men  with  rules  for  every 
thing.  If  they  would  search,  he  said,  they  would  find  a  precept, 
an  example,  or  a  general  principle,  applicable  to  every  possible 
emergency  of  duty,  no  matter  what  was  a  man's  calling.  There 
the  military  man  might  find  guidance  for  every  exigency. 
Then,  turning  to  Lieutenant  Smith,  he  asked  him,  smiling: 
"  Can  you  tell  me  where  the  Bible  gives  generals  a  model  for 
their  official  reports  of  battles  ?  "  He  answered,  laughing,  that 
it  never  entered  his  mind  to  think  of  looking  for  such  a  thing  in 


HIS   SYMPTOMS   THREATENING.  715 

the  Scriptures.  "Nevertheless,"  said  the  General;  "there  are 
such:  and  excellent  models,  too.  Look,  for  instance,  at  the 
narrative  of  Joshua's  battle  with  the  Amalekites ;  there  you  have 
one.  It  has  clearness,  brevity,  fairness,  modesty ;  and  it  traces 
the  victory  to  its  right  source,  the  blessing  of  God." 

After  Monday,  the  bright  promise  of  his  recovery  began  to  be 
overcast ;  pain  and  restlessness  gradually  increased,  and  he  was 
necessarily  limited  in  conversation.  It  became  necessary  again 
to  resort  to  his  favorite  remedy,  the  wet  napkins,  and  to  employ 
anodynes  to  soothe  his  nerves.  Under  the  influence  of  the  opiates, 
his  sleep  now  became  disturbed  and  full  of  dreams.  He  several 
times  inquired  anxiously  about  the  issue  of  the  battles.  On 
Tuesday  he  was  told  that  Hooker  was  entrenched  north  of  Chan- 
cellorsville ;  when  he  said :  "  That  is  bad ;  very  bad."  Falling 
asleep  afterwards,  he  aroused  himself  exclaiming:  "Major  Pen- 
dleton ;  send  in  and  see  if  there  is  higher  ground  back  of  Chan- 
cellorsville."  His  soul  was  again  struggling,  in  his  dreams,  for 
his  invaded  country ;  and  he  thought  of  his  artillery  crowning 
some  eminence,  and  thence  pelting  the  intruder  from  his  strong 
hold.  It  was  'also  on  this  day  that  the  whole  line  of  the  railroad 
was  agitated  with  rumors  of  the  approach  of  Stoneman's  vagrant 
cavalry ;  which  had  attacked  Ashland,  and  was  expected  to  ad 
vance  thence  toward  Fredericksburo",  rava^inp*  all  the  stations. 

O/  O          O 

General  Jackson  expressed  the  most  perfect  calmness,  in  view 
of  this  danger,  and  said,  that  he  doubted  not  if  they  captured 
him,  God  would  cause  them  to  treat  him  with  kindness.  The 
confusion  prevalent  along  the  railroad  had  retarded  Mr.  Morri 
son  in  his  journey  to  Richmond ;  and  now  made  it  dangerous  for 
Mrs.  Jackson  to  travel  by  that  route.  On  Thursday,  however, 
she  determined  to  delay  no  longer,  and  setting  out  by  railroad, 
reached  Mr.  Chandler's  in  the  forenoon. 

But  meantime,  the  symptoms  of  General  Jackson's  case  had 


716  LIFE   OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 

become  still  more  ominous.  Wednesday  brought  a  cold,  drench 
ing  rain,  with  a  chilling  atmosphere,  unhealthy  for  his  enfeebled 
system.  Wednesday  evening,  Dr.  M'Guire,  who  had  scarcely 
permitted  himself  to  sleep 'for  three  or  four  nights,  overpowered 
by  fatigue,  retired  to  rest.  But  during  the  night,  the  General 
began  to  complain  of  an  intense  pain  in  his  side,  and  urged  his 
servant  Jim,  who  was  watching  with  him,  to  apply  wet  towels. 
He  complied ;  but  the  remedy  failed  to  bring  relief;  and  as  morn 
ing  approached,  he  summoned  the  Doctor  again.  The  General 
was  found  with  a  quickened  pulse,  laboring  respiration,  and  severe 
pain.  Pneumonia  was  clearly  developed,  but  not  with  alarming 
intensity ;  the  pain  and  difficult  breathing  being  more  accounted 
for  by  a  neuralgic  Pleurodinia,  constricting  the  muscles  of  the 
chest,  than  by  actual  inflammation  of  the  lungs.  The  physician 
therefore  resorted  to  the  more  vigorous  remedies  of  sinapisms 
and  cupping;  but  with  only  partial  effect.  The  chaplain  was 
now  despatched  to  the  army,  which  had  returned  to  its  old 
quarters  near  Fredericksburg,  to  bring  the  General's  family 
physician,  Dr.  Morrison,  now  chief  surgeon  of  Early 's  Division. 
Mr.  Lacy,  while  seeking  him,  called  on  General  Lec;  and  told  him 
that  the  General's  condition  was  more  threatening.  He  replied 
that  he  was  confident  God  would  not  take  Jackson  away  from 
him  at  such  a  time,  when  his  country  needed  him  so  much. 
"  Give  him,"  he  added,  "  my  affectionate  regards,  and  tell  him  to 
make  haste  and  get  well,  and  come  back  to  me  as  soon  as  he 
can.  He  has  lost  his  left  arm ;  but  I  have  lost  my  right  arm." 
Meantime,  Mrs.  Jackson  had  arrived  with  her  infant.  The 
duties  of  the  sick  room  delayed  her  introduction  for  an  hour,  and 
they  sought  to  prepare  her  feelings  for  the  change  which  she 
must  see  in  her  husband.  He  had  asked  for  a  glass  of  lemon 
ade,  and  some  one  proposed,  as  a  kindly  relief  to  her  anxiety, 
that  she  should  busy  herself  in  preparing  it.  When  Mr.  Smith 


MEDICAL  AID   OBTAINED.  717 

took  it  to  him,  he  tasted,  and  looking  up,  said  quickly;  "You 
did  not  mix  this,  it  is  too  sweet ;  take  it  back."  Disease  had 
produced  a  surprising  change  in  his  temper  in  one  respect,  that 
he  who,  in  health,  was  almost  indifferent  to  the  quality  of  his 
food  and  drink,  and  satisfied  with  the  simplest,  had  become  crit 
ical  and  exacting  in  those  particulars.  He  was  now  informed 
that  Mrs.  Jackson  had  arrived,  and  expressed  great  delight. 
When  she  entered  his  room,  she  saw  him  sadly  changed ;  his 
features  were  sunken  by  the  prostration  of  his  energies;  and 
were  marked  by  two  or  three  angry  scars,  where  they  had  been 
torn  by  his  horse,  as  he  rushed  through  the  brushwood.  His 
cheeks  burned  with  a  swarthy,  and  almost  livid  flush.  Yet  his 
face  beamed  with  joy,  when,  awaking  from  his  disturbed  slum 
ber,  he  saw  her  near  him.  When  he  noted  the  shade  of  woful 
apprehension  which  passed  over  her  face,  he  said  tenderly,  "  Now 
Anna,  cheer  up,  and  don't  wear  a  long  face ;  you  know  I  love  a 
bright  face  in  a  sick  room."  And  nobly  did  she  obey.  "With  a 
spirit  as  truly  courageous  as  that  of  her  warrior  husband,  she 
commanded  her  grief,  and  addressed  herself  cheerfully  to  the 
ministry  of  love.  Many  a  tear  was  poured  out  over  her  uncon 
scious  suckling,  yet  she  returned  to  his  sick  room  always  with  a 
serene  countenance ;  and  continued  to  be,  until  the  clouds  of 
death  descended  upon  his  vision,  what  he  had  delighted  to  call 
her  in  the  hours  of  prosperity,  his  "  Sunshine."  He  now  added, 
with  reference  to  his  impaired  hearing,  that  he  wished  her  to 
speak  distinctly  while  in  his  room,  because  he  wanted  to  hear 
every  word  she  said. 

At  two  o'clock,  p.  M.,  Dr.  Morrison  arrived.  When  he  spoke 
to  him,  the  General  looked  up,  and  said  affectionately :  "  That's 
an  old,  familiar  face."  His  condition  was  now  examined  thor 
oughly,  and  was  found  so  critical  that  it  was  determined  to  send 
Mr.  Smith  to  Richmond,  to  bring  some  female  friend  to  Mrs. 


VI 8  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

Jackson's  assistance,  and  to  call  in  the  aid  of  Dr.  Tucker,  of 
that  city,  whose  skill  in  pulmonary  diseases  was  greatly  valued. 
But  the  best  treatment  which  medical  science  could  suggest  was 
immediately  commenced ;  and  the  symptoms  of  Pneumonia  wero 
partially  subdued.     Nature,  however,  did  not  rally  as  this  enemy 
receded ;  the  vital  forces  were  too  much  exhausted  to  be  effect 
ually  revived.     There  remained  no  organic  disease  of  sufficient 
force  to  destroy  the  lungs  of  an  infant;  but  still  his  "constitu 
tional  symptoms  "  grew  steadily  more  discouraging.     The  causes 
of  this  decline  were  several ;  the  cold  which  he  had  contracted 
Friday  night  ;  the  fatigue  and  exhaustion  of  his  long  continued 
abstinence,  labor  and  intense  excitement  during  the  march  and 
battle ;  the  cruel  fall  from  the  litter ;  and  above  all,  the  fatal 
hemorrhage.     It  was  during  the  horrid  confusion  of  that  night 
combat  in  the  thicket,  that  his  strength  was  drained  away ;  the 
deceitful  appearance  of  the  succeeding  days  was  but  a  partial 
flowing  again  of  the  tides  of  life,  which  were  proved  too  weak 
to   fill  their  accustomed  channel,  and  so  ebbed  forever.     Dur 
ing  his  remaining  hours,  he  was  at  times  oppressed  by  something, 
which  was  not  delirium,  but  the  burthen  of  a  profound  prostra 
tion,  combined  with  the  slumberous  drugs  which  were  given  to 
command  his  pain.     Whenever  he  was  addressed  by  any  one 
whom  he  knew,  he  roused  himself;  and  memory,  reason  and  con 
sciousness  were  found  in  full  exercise ;  but  at  other  times  he  lay 
with  closed  eyes,  seemingly  engaged  in  silent  prayer,  or  over 
come  by  sleep  which  was  visited  with  disturbed  visions ;  and  at 
others  again,  he  entered  into  the  conversation  around  his  bed, 
with  so  much  intelligence  and  animation,  that  his  physicians 
checked  his  exertions  of  his  failing  strength.     During  Thursday 
night,  Dr.  Morrison  had  occasion  to  arouse  him  from  sleep,  to 
take  some  draught,  saying:     "Will  you  take  this,  General?" 
He  looked  steadily  into  his  face  and  said :     "Do  your  duty." 


HIS   THOUGHTS   IN  SICKNESS.  719 

Then,  as  though  to  signify  that  he  intended  what  he  said,  and 
wished  the  physician  to  do  for  him  precisely  what  his  judgment 
dictated,  he  repeated,  "Do  your  duty."  His  vagrant  thoughts 
in  sleep  were  obviously  wandering  back  to  the  field  of  strife ;  at 
one  time  he  was  heard  to  say  quickly :  "  A.  P.  Hill,  prepare  for 
action ;  "  and  several  times :  "  Tell  Major  Hawks  to  send  for 
ward  provisions  for  the  troops." 

On  Friday  morning  Dr.  Morrison  suggested  his  fear  of  a  fatal 
termination  of  his  disease.  He  dissented  from  this  expectation 
positively,  and  said,  precisely  in  these  words,  "  I  am  not  afraid 
to  die ;  I  am  willing  to  abide  by  the  will  of  my  Heavenly  Father. 
But  I  do  not  believe  that  I  shall  die  at  this  time ;  I  am  per 
suaded  the  Almighty  has  yet  a  work  for  me  to  perform."  It 
was  not  at  random  that  he  then  employed  two  different  term0 
to  denote  God  j  but  their  use  was  intentional,  and  was  a  remark 
able  manifestation  of  his  religion.  The  favorite  term  by  which 
he  was  accustomed  to  speak  of  God  in  the  relations  of  redemp 
tion  to  his  own  soul,  as  the  attentive  reader  will  have  noticed 
already,  was,  "  My  Heavenly  Father."  It  was  this  dear  name 
which  he  now  used,  when  he  would  express  his  acquiescence  in 
the  Divine  will  concerning  himself.  But  when,  in  the  next 
breath,  he  spoke  of  the  work  which  he  expected  God,  as  the 
Ruler  of  nations,  to  assign  to  htm,  he  called  Him  "  The  Al 
mighty."  He  also  insisted  that  Dr.  M'Guire  should  be  called 
in,  and  the  appeal  be  made  to  him.  When  he  entered,  he  can 
didly  admitted  that  he  shared  his  fears ;  but  General  Jackson, 
while  perfectly  will-ing  to  die,  was  still  as  sturdy  as  ever  in 
declaring  his  expectation  of  life.  It  may  be  added,  that  even  so 
late  as  Saturday  night,  when  Dr.  Morrison  renewed  the  expres 
sion  of  his  fears,  he  still  dissented,  saying :  "  I  don't  think  so :  1 
think  I  shall  be  better  by  morning."  * 

On  Friday  morning  Mr.  Smith  returned  from  Richmond  with 


720  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GENEEAL  JACKSON. 

the  additional  assistance  which  he  had  gone  to  seek.  But  medi 
cal  skill  could  suggest  no  means  to  replace  the  vital  forces 
which  were  surely  failing,  at  the  fountain  of  life.  It  was  on  the 
afternoon  of  this  day  that  he  asked  Dr.  M'Guirc  whether  he 
supposed  the  diseased  persons  healed  by  the  miraculous  touch 
of  the  Saviour  ever  suffered  again  from  the  same  malady.  He 
continued  to  say,  that  he  did  not  believe  they  did;  that  the  heal 
ing  virtue  of  the  Redeemer  was  too  potent,  and  that  the  poor 
paralytic  to  whom  He  had  once  said,  "  I  will :  be  thou  healed," 
never  shook  again  with  palsy.  He  then,  as  though  invoking  the 
same  aid,  exclaimed :  "  Oh  for  infinite  power ! "  After  a  season 
of  quiet  reflection,  he  said  to  Mr.  Smith,  (who,  being  designed 
for  the  pulpit,  had  received  a  thorough  theological  training,) 
"  what  were  the  Head-quarters  of  Christianity  after  the  cruci 
fixion  ?  "  He  replied  that  Jerusalem  was  at  first  the  chief  seat; 
but  after  the  dispersion  of  the  disciples  thence  by  persecution, 
there  was  none  for  a  time,  until  Antioch,  Iconium,  Rome,  and 
Alexandria,  were  finally  established  as  centres  of  influence.  The 
General  interrupted  him:  "Why  do  you  say  'centres  of  influ 
ence  ' !  is  not  Head-quarters  a  better  term  ?  "  He  then  requested 
him  to  go  on,  and  Smith,  encouraged  by  Dr.  M'Guire,  proceeded 
to  explain  how  the  Apostles  were  directed  by  Divine  Provi 
dence,  seemingly,  to  plant  theif  *  most  flourishing  churches,  at  an 
early  period,  in  these  great  cities,  which  were  rendered  by  their 
political,  commercial,  and  ethnical  relations,  "head-quarters"  of 
influence  for  the  whole  civilized  world.  Jackson  was  much 
interested  in  the  explanation,  and  at  its  end,  said :  "  Mr.  Smith, 
I  wish  you  would  get  the  map,  and  show  me  precisely  where 
Iconium  was."  He  replied  that  he  thought  there  was  no  map  at 
hand,  where  that  ancient  city  would  be  found.  Said  the  Gen 
eral,  "  Yes,  Sir :  you  will  fftid  it  in  the  Atlas  which  is  in  my  old 
trunk."  This  trunk  was  searched,  but  the  Atlas  was  not  found 


SEEKS   SOLACE   IN  BIBLE   AND   SINGING.  721 

there;  and  Mr.  Smith  suggested  that  it  was  probably  left  in  his 
portable  desk.  He  said :  "  Yes,  you  are  right,  I  left  it  in  my 
desk,"  (mentioning  the  shelf.)  Then,  after  musing  for  a  moment, 
he  added,  "  Mr.  Smith,  I  wish  you  would  examine  into  that  mat 
ter,  and  report  to  me."  His  meaning  was,  that  he  should  refresh 
his  knowledge  of  this  interesting  feature  of  the  history  of  the 
infant  Church,  by  reference  to  "books,  and  thus  prepare  himself 
to  unfold  it  more  fully  to  him. 

On,  Saturday  morning,  while  he  was  suffering  cruelly  from 
fever  and  restlessness,  and  tossing  about  upon  his  bed,  Mrs. 
Jackson  proposed  to  read  him  some  Psalms  from  the  Old  Testa 
ment,  hoping  their  sublime  consolations  would  soothe  his  pains. 
He  at  first  replied  that  he  was  suffering  too  much  to  attend,  but 
soon  after  added,  "Yes,  we  must  never  refuse  that;  get  the 
Bible,  and  read  them."  In  the  afternoon  he  requested  that  he 
might  see  his  chaplain.  He  was  then  so  ill,  and  his  respiration 
so  difficult,  that  it  was  thought  all  conversation  would  be  inju 
rious,  and  they  attempted  to  dissuade  him.  But  he  continued  to 
ask  so  repeatedly  and  eagerly,  that  it  was  judged  better  to  yield. 
"When  Mr.  Lacy  entered,  he  inquired  whether  he  was  endeavor 
ing  to  further  those  views  of  Sabbath  observance  of  which  he 
had  spoken  to  him.  On  his  assuring  him  that  he  was,  he  entered 
at  some  length  into  conversation  with  him  upon  that  subject. 
Thus,  his  last  care  and  labor  for  the  Church  of  God  was  an 
effort  to  secure  the  sanctification  of  His  holy  day.  As  the  even 
ing  wore  away,  his  sufferings  increased,  and  he  requested  Mrs. 
Jackson  to  sing  some  psalms,  with  the  assistance  of  all  his 
friends  around  his  bed,  selecting  the  most  spiritual  pieces  they 
could.  She,  with  her  brother,  then  sung  several  of  his  favorite 
pieces,  concluding,  at  his  request,  with  the  51st  Psalm, 

"  Show  pity,  Lord,  O  Lord  forgive." 
91 


722  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

sung  to  the  "  Old  Hundredth."  The  night  was  spent  by  him  in 
feverish  tossings,  and  without  quiet  sleep.  During  all  its 
weary  hours,  the  attendants  sat  by  his  side,  sponging  his  brow 
with  cool  water,  the  only  palliative  of  his  pain  which  seemed  to 
avail.  Whenever  they  paused,  he  looked .  up,  and  by  some  ges 
ture  or  sign,  begged  them  to  continue. 

Thus  the  morning  of  Sabbath,,  the  10th  of  May,  was  ushered 
in,  a  holy  day  which  he  was  destined  to  begin  on  earth,  and  to 
end  in  heaven.  He  had  often  said  that  he  desired  to  die  upon 
the  Sabbath ;  and  this  wish  was  now  about  to  be  fulfilled.  His 
end  was  evidently  so  near  that  Dr.  Morrison  felt  it  was  due  to 
Mrs.  Jackson  to  inform  her  plainly  of  his,  condition.  She  remem 
bered  that  he  had  often  said,  when  speaking  of  death,  that 
although  he  was  willing  to  die  at  any  time,  if  it  was  the  will  of 
God,  he  should  greatly  desire  to  have  a  few  hours'  notice  of  the 
approach  of  his  last  struggle.  She  therefore  declared  that  he 
must  be  distinctly  informed  of  his  nearness  to  death ;  and  ago 
nizing  as  was  the  task,  she  would  herself  assume  the  duty  of 
breaking  the  solemn  news  to  him.  He  was  now  lying  quiet,  and 
apparently  oppressed  by  the  incubus  of  his  deep  prostration. 
She  went  to  his  bedside  and  aroused  him,  when  he  immediately 
recognized  her,  although  he  did  not  appear  at  first  to  apprehend 
distinctly  the  tenor  of  her  announcement.  The  progress  of 
the  disease  had  now  nearly  robbed  him  of  the  power  of  speech. 
She  repeated  several  times :  "  Do  yoiiJaiQgUlLQjj^ctors  say,  you 
must  very  soon  be  in  heaven?  DQ_j£QU_not  feej_  willing  to 
acquiesce  in  God's  allotment^ifJEIe  wills  you  to  go  to-day  ?  " 
He  looked  her  MThTthe  face,  and  said,  with  difficulty :  "jjprc- 
ferjt."  Then,  as  though  fearing  that  the  intelligence  of  his 
"answer  might  not  be  fully  appreciated,  he  said  again :  "  I  prefer 
it"  She  said :  " Well,  before  this  day  closes,  you  will  be  with 
the  blessed  Saviour  in  His  glory."  He  replied  with  great  distinct- 


DYING   SCENES.  723 

ness  and  deliberation :  "  I  will  be  an  infinite  gainer  to  be  trans 
lated." 

He  had  before  requested  that  the  chaplain  should  preach,  as 
usual,  at  his  head-quarters,  but  he  now  seemed  to  be  oblivious 
of  the  fact.  When  Colonel  Pendleton,  his  Adjutant,  entered  the 
room,  he  greeted  him  with  his  unfailing  courtesy;  and  then 
asked,  who  was  preaching  at  head-quarters.  When  he  was 
told  that  the  chaplain  was  gone  to  do  it,  he  expressed  much  sat 
isfaction.  Mrs.  Jackson  now  determined  to  employ  the  fleeting 
moments,  to  learn  his  last  wishes;  first  asking  for  one  final 
assurance  more,  that  his  Saviour  was  present  with  him  in  his 
extremity.  To  this  he  only  answered  with  a  distinct  "  Yes." 
His  wife  asked  him  whether  it  was  his  will  that  she  and  Ins 
daughter  should  reside  with  her  father,  Dr.  Morrison.  He 
answered :  "  Yes,  you  have  a  kind  and  good  father ;  but  no  one 
is  so  kind  and  good  as  your  Heavenly  Father."  She  then 
inquired  where  he  preferred  that  his  body  should  be  buried.  To 
this  he  made  no  reply.  When  she  suggested  Lexington,  he 
assented,  saying :  "  Yes,  in  Lexington ;  "  but  his  tone  expressed 
rather  acquiescence  than  lively  interest.  His  infant  was  now 
brought  to  receive  his  last  embrace ;  and  as  soon  as  she  appeared 
in  the  doorway,  which  he  was  watching  with  his  eyes,  his  face 
was  lit  up  with  a  beaming  smile,  and  he  motioned  her  toward 
him,  saying  fondly :  "  Little  darling !  "  She  was  seated  on  the 
bed  by  his  side,  and  he  embraced  her,  and  endeavored  to  caress 
her  with  his  poor,  lacerated  hand: — while  she  smiled  upon  him 
with  infantile  delight.  Thus  he  continued  to  toy  with  her,  until 
the  near  approach  of  death  unnerved  his  arm,  and  unconscious 
ness  settled  down  upon  him. 

In  his  restless  sleep,  he  seemed  attempting  to  speak ;  and  at 
length  said  audibly:  "Let  us  pass  over  the  river,  and  rest 
under  the  shade  of  the  trees."  These  were  the  last  words  he 


724  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL  JACKSON. 

uttered.  Was  Ms  soul  wandering  back  in  dreams  to  the  river 
of  his  beloved  valley,  the  Shenandoah,  (the  "river  of  sparkling 
waters/' )  whose  verdant  meads  and  groves  he  had  redeemed 
from  the  invader,  and  across  whose  floods  he  had  so  often  won 
his  passage  through  the  toils  of  battle  ?  Or  was  he  reaching  for 
ward  across  the  River  of  Death,  to  the  golden  streets  of  the 
Celestial  City,  and  the  trees  whose  leaves  are  for  the  healing  of 
the  nations  ?  It  was  to  these  that  God  was  bringing  him,  through 
his  last  battle  and  victory  j  and  under  their  shade  he  walks,  with 
the  blessed  company  of  the  redeemed. 

His  attendants,  now  believing  that  consciousness  had  finally 
departed,  ceased  to  restrain  his  wife ;  and  she  was  permitted  to 
abandon  herself  to  all  the  desolation  of  her  grief.  But  they 
were  mistaken.  Bowing  down  over  him,  her  eyes  raining  tears 
upon  his  dying  face,  and  covering  it  with  kisses,  she  cried: 
"  Oh,  doctor ;  cannot  you  do  something  more  ?  "  That  voice  had 
power  to  recall  him  once  more,  for  a  moment,  from  the  very 
threshold  of  heaven's  gate ;  he  opened  his  eyes  fully,  and  gazing 
upward  at  her  face,  with  a  long  look  of  full  intelligence  and  love, 
closed  them  again  forever.  His  breath  then,  after  a  few  more 
inspirations,  ceased ;  and  his  laboring  breast  was  stilled.  And 
thus  died  the  hero  of  so  many  battles,  who  had  so  often  con 
fronted  death  when  clothed  with  his  gloomiest  terrors ;  with  his 
last  earthly  look  fixed  upon  the  face  which  was  dearer  to  him 
than  all  else,  except  that  Saviour,  whom  he  was  next  to  behold  in 
glory. 

While  he  was  thus  passing  down  beneath  the  shadow  of  the 
portals  of  death,  two  different  scenes  were  enacting,  connected 
with  his  fate,  contrasted  in  their  actors  and  accessories  as  widely 
as  the  extremes  of  earth  well  admit.  But  it  is  not  easy  to 
decide  which  paid  the  most  touching  tribute  to  the  dying  warrior. 
Mrs.  Chandler,  the  hostess  to  whose  affectionate  hospitality  the 


MESSAGE   OP   LEE.  725 

General  was  now  indebted  for  a  shelter,  had  a  daughter  of  five 
years  old,  whose  heart  he  had  won,  as  he  stole  the  hearts  of  all 
the  ingenuous,  during  his  short  visit  of  the  previous  winter.  This 
winning  child  had  noticed  the  tears  which  moistened  her  mother's 
cheeks,  as  she  was  engaged  about  her  household  duties^  and  for 
a  long  time,  had  followed  her  about  the  house  with  a  restless 
and  wistful  countenance.  At  length  she  ventured  to  ask :  "Mamma, 
will  General  Jackson  die  ?  "  She  was  told  that  the  Doctors  said 
'  they  could  not  save  him,  and  he  was  going  to  die.  Fixing  her 
large,  solemn  eyes  upon  her  mother's  face  with  a  look  of  intense 
earnestness,  she  replied :  "  Oh,  I  wish  God  would  let  me  die  for 
him,  for  if  I  did,  you  would  cry  for  me ;  but  if  he  dies,  all  the 
people  in  the  country  will  cry." 

The  cotemporaneous  scene  was  at  the  quarters  of  the  Staff  of 
General  Jackson's  corps,  where  a  vast  congregation  of  nearly 
two  thousand  men,  with  the  Commander-in- Chief,  and  a  brilliant 
assemblage  of  Generals,  was  collected  for  public  worship. 
When  General  Lee  saw  the  chaplain  approaching,  he  met  him, 
and  anxiously  inquired  after  the  sufferer's  condition.  He  was 
told  that  it  was  nearly,  or  quite  hopeless ;  when  with  great  feel 
ing  he  said :  "  Surely  General  Jackson  must  recover.  God  will 
not  take  him  from  us,  now  that  we  need  him  so  much.  Surely 
he  will  be  spared  to  us,  in  answer  to  the  many  prayers  which 
are  offered  for  him."  He  afterwards  added :  "  When  you  return, 
I  trust  you  will  find  him  better.  When  a  suitable  occasion  offers, 
give  him  my  love,  and  tell  him  that  I  wrestled  in  prayer  for  him 
last  night,  as  I  never  prayed,  I  believe,  for  myself.  "  With  these 
words,  he  hastily  turned  away,  to  hide  his  uncontrollable  emotion. 
This  message  has  not  yet  been  delivered.  After  public  worship, 
in  which  the  whole  multitude  was  melted  into  grief  while  joining 
in  the  prayers  for  his  recovery,  Mr.  Lacy  returned,  only  to  find 
him  gone.  He  had  expired  about  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 


726  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENEBAL  JACKSON. 

The  dying  scene  lias  now  been  exactly  related,  without  attempt 
at  any  dramatic  embellishment  j  for  it  is  believed  that  this  faith 
ful  and  homely  narrative  will  be  more  impressive  to  every  rightly 
constituted  mind,  than  any  effort  of  literary  art.  Nor  will  any 
reflections  be  added,  upon  the  lessons  of  such  a  death  to  the 
hearts  of  the  readers ;  but  each  one  will  be  left,  in  the  silence  of 
his  own  soul,  to  draw  them  for  himself.  They  are  too  plain  and 
solemn  to  need  repetition. 

Colonel  Pendleton  immediately  informed  General  Lee,  and 
the  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth,  of  the  departure  of  Jackson's 
soul ;  and  by  the  latter,  it  was  communicated  to  the  Confederate 
Government.  In  a  few  hours  the  electric  telegraph  had  con 
veyed  the  news  to  all  the  Confederate  States;  and  to  every 
heart  it  came  as  a  chilling  shock.  All  over  the  land,  hundreds 
of  miles  away  from  the  regions  which  he  had  illustrated  by  his 
prowess,  the  people  who  had  never  seen  his  face,  grieved  for  him 
as  men  grieve  for  their  nearest  kindred.  Other  countries  and 
ages  may  have  witnessed  such  a  national  sorrow ;  but  the  men 
of  this  generation  never  saw  so  profound  and  universal  grief,  as 
that  which  throbbed  in  the  heart  of  the  Confederate  people  at  the 
death  of  Jackson.  "Women,  who  had  never  known  him  save  by 
the  fame  of  his  virtues  and  exploits,  wept  for  him  as  passionately 
as  for  a  brother.  The  faces  of  the  men  were  black  with  dismay, 
as  they  heard  that  the  tower  of  their  strength  was  fallen.  All 
felt  what  many  mouths  expressed,  that  no  language  could  declare 
their  sense  of  bereavement  so  well  as  the  requiem  of  David  for 
his  princely  friend,  Jonathan.  "  How  are  the  mighty  fallen  in 
the  midst  of  the  battle  !  0  Jonathan,  thou  wast  slain  in  thy  high 
places.  I  am  distressed  for  thee,  my  brother  Jonathan ;  very 
pleasant  hast  thou  been  unto  me ;  thy  love  was  wonderful,  pass 
ing  the  love  of  women.  How  are  the  mighty  fallen,  and  the 
weapons  of  war  perished!"  •  Men  said  that  they  had  never 


NATIONAL    ESTIMATE.  '<  2  7 

admitted  among  their  fears  of  possible  calamity,  the  apprehen 
sion  that  Jackson  could  fall  in  battle;  for  he  had  passed 
unscathed  through  so  many  perils,  that  he  seemed  to  them  to 
wear  a  charmed  life.  He  was  to  his  fellow-citizens  the  man  of 
destiny,  the  anointed  of  God  to  bring  in  deliverance  for  his 
oppressed  Church  and  Country.  They  had  seen  his  form  lead 
ing  the  van  of  victory,  with  such  trust  as  the  ancient  Hebrews 
reposed  in  their  king?  and  judges,  when  they  went  forth  to  turn 
to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens,  anointed  with  holy  oil,  and 
guided  to  sure  triumph  by  the  oracles  of  Urim  and  Thummim 
and  inspired  seers.  Even  those  who  did  not  pray  themselves, 
believed  with  a  perfect  assurance,  that  his  prayers  found  certain 
access  to  the  heavens,  and  that  the  cause  for  which  he  interceded 
was  secure  under  the  shield  of  omnipotence.  The  people  of  God, 
with  a  more  intelligent  and  scriptural  trust,  gloried  in  his  sanc 
tity  and  Christian  zeal,  as  a  signal  proof  .that  the  cause  of  their 
country  was  the  cause  of  righteousness,  in  his  pious  example  as  a 
precious  influence  for  good  upon  their  sons  who  followed  his  ban 
ners,  and  in  the  homage  done  to  Christ  and  His  Gospel  by  his 
devotion.  His  soldiers  trusted  in  his  prestige  with  a  perfect 
faith ;  for  they  had  seen  Fortune  perch  so  regularly  upon  his 
flag,  that  the  fickleness  of  her  nature  seemed  to  be  changed,  for 
him,  into  constancy/  Jackson's  corps,  -when  fighting  under  his 
eye,  always  assailed  the  enemy  with  the  certain  expectation  that 
victory,  and  nothing  but  victory,  was  to  be  the  issue.  His  Com- 
mander-in- Chief,  who  best  knew  the  value  of  his  sleepless  vigi 
lance,  his  industry,  his  wisdom  in  council,  and  his  vigor  in  action, 
appreciated  his  loss  most  fully  of  all.  Men  were  everywhere 
speculating  with  solemn  anxiety  upon  the  meaning  of  his  death. 
They  asked  themselves :  Has  God  "  taken  the  good  man  away 
from  the  evil  to  come  1 "  Has  he  adjudged  us  as  unworthy, 
because  of  our  ingratitude  and  disobedience,  of  such  a  deliverer ; 


728  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENEEAL  JACESON. 

and  after  proving  us  for  a  time  by  lending  a  Jackson  to  our 
cause,  has  He  now  withdrawn  the  gift,  in  judicial  displeasure  ? 
Or  does  lie  only  mean  to  render  the  example  of  his  military  and 
Christian  virtues  more  shining  and  instructive  by  his  translation, 
and  thus,  while  He  teaches  us  to  trust  more  exclusively  in  Him 
self,  raise  up,  after  this  model,  a  company  of  Jacksons,  to  defend 
their  country  ?  While  some  answered  these  questions  in  both 
ways,  according  to  their  temperaments,  the  greater  number  wisely 
left  them  to  be  solved  by  God  Himself,  in  the  evolution  of  His 
providence.  In  one  conclusion  all  agreed,  that  the  imitation  of 
Jackson's  example  by  his  countrymen  would  make  his  people 
invincible,  and  their  final  triumph  absolutely  certain,  and  that 
this  was  the  practical  lesson  set  forth  by  God  in  his  life  and 
death. 

Gen.  Jackson's  remains  were  shrouded  by  his  Staff,  Sunday 
evening,  in  his  military  garments,  and  deposited  in  an  open 
coffin  of  wood,  which  was  procured  near  by.  His  coat  had 
been  almost  torn  to  pieces  by  his  friends,  in  their  eagerness  to 
reach  and  bind  up  his  wounds,  the  night  he  fell ;  and  it  was  now 
replaced  by  the  civilian's  coat  which  he  sometimes  wore  in  his 
hours  of  relaxation.  But  his  military  overcoat  covered  and 
concealed  this  exception.  The  Congress  of  the  Confederate 
States  had  a  short  time  before  adopted  a  design  for  their  flag, 
and  a  large  and  elegant  model  had  just  been  completed,  the  first 
ever  made,  which  was  intended  to  be  unfurled  from  the  roof  of 
the  Capitol.  This  flag  the  President  now  sent,  as  the  gift  of  the 
country,  to  be  the  winding  sheet  of  the  corpse.  The  Governor 
of  Virginia,  assuming  the  care  of  the  funeral,  sent  up  a  metallic 
coffin,  with  a  company  of  embalmers,  on  Sunday  night,  together 
with  a  deputation  of  eminent  civilians  and  military  men,  to  es 
cort  the  remains  to  Richmond.  .During  that  night  they  were 
finally  prepared  for  the  tomb,  and  on  Monday  morning,  May 


COEPSE    CARRIED   1G   RICHMOND.  729 

11  tli,  were  conveyed  to  the  Capital  by  a  special  train,  attended 
by  the  General's  Staff,  his  widow  and  her  female  friends,  and  the 
Governor's  Committee.  When  they  approached  the  suburb 
through  which  the  Fredericksburg  Railroad  enters  the  city,  the 
gathering  throng  warned  them  to  pause  and  seek  a  more  quiet 
approach  for  the  afflicted  ladies.  The  train  was  therefore 
arrested,  and  the  wife  of  the  Governor,  receiving  Mrs.  Jackson 
and  her  attendants  into  her  carriages,  drove  rapidly  and  by  cir 
cuitous  and  less  frequented  streets,  to  his  Mansion  on  the  Capi 
tol  Square.  The  cars  then  slowly  advanced  into  the  city,  through 
an  avenue  which,  for  two  miles,  was  thronged  with  myriads  of 
men  and  women.  Business  had  been  suspended,  and  the  whole 
city,  as  one  man,  was  come  forth  to  meet  the  mighty  dead. 
Amidst  a  solemn  silence,  only  broken  by  the  boom  of  the  minute 
guns  and  the  wails  of  a  military  dirge,  the  coffin  was  borne  into 
the  Governor's  gates,  and  hidden  for  the  time,  from  the  eyes  of 
the  multitude,  of  which  the  major  part  were  wet  with  tears. 

For  the  next  day,  a  great  civic  and  military  pomp  was  de 
vised,  which  was  thus  described  in  a  coternporary  publication. 
"  At  the  hour  appointed,  the  coffin  was  borne  to  the  hearse,  a 
signal  gun  was  fired  from  near  the  "Washington  monument,  and 
the  procession  began  to  move  to  the  solemn  strains  of  the  Dead 
March  in  Saul.  The  hearse  was  preceded  by  two  regiments  of 
Gen.  Pickett's  division,  with  arms  reversed,  that  General  and  his 
Staff,  the  Fayette  artillery,  and  Wren's  company  of  cavalry. 
Behind  came  the  horse  of  the  dead  soldier,  caparisoned  for  bat 
tle,  and  led  by  a  groom ;  his  Staff  officers,  members  of  the  Stone 
wall  Brigade,  invalids  and  wounded ;  and  then  a  vast  array  of 
officials,  headed  by  the  President  of  the  Confederate  States,  and 
members  of  his  Cabinet,  followed  by  all  the  general  officers  in 
Richmond ;  after  whom  came  a  mighty  throng  of  civic  dignita 
ries,  and  citizens.  The  procession  moved  through  the  main 

92 


730  LIFE  OF  LIEUT. -GENERAL  JACKSON. 

streets  of  the  city,  and  then  returned  to  the  Capitol.  Every 
place  of  business  was  closed,  and  every  avenue  thronged  with 
solemn  and  tearful  spectators,  while  a  silence  more  impressive 
than  that  of  the  Sabbath,  brooded  over  the  whole  town.  When 
the  hearse  reached  the  steps  of  the  Capitol,  the  pall  bearers, 
headed  by  Gen.  Longstreet,  the  great  comrade  of  the  departed, 
bore  the  corpse  into  the  hall  of  the  lower  house  of  the  Congress, 
where  it  was  placed  upon  a  species  of  altar,  draped  with  snowy 
white,  before  the  Speaker's  chair.  The  coffin  was  still  enfolded 
with  the  white,  blue,  and  red,  of  the  Confederate  flag." 

There  the  head  was  uncovered,  and  the  people  were  permitted, 
during  the  remainder  of  the  day,  to  enter  and  view  the  features 
of  the  dead  for  the  last  time.  The  face  was  found  to  be  in  per 
fect  repose;  the  livid  flush  of  fever  had  passed  away;  the  broad 
and  lofty  forehead  was  now  smooth  and  snow  white,  the  cheeks 
thin,  and  bronzed  by  sun  and  breeze,  the  expressive  mouth  firmly 
closed  j  while  an  expression  of  shining  calm  shed  a  species  of 
ghostly  radiance  over  the  countenance. '  During  the  whole  after 
noon  the  people  streamed  through  the  room,  ladies,  legislators, 
old  men,  children,  rugged  soldiers,  in  a  mingled,  silent  throng, 
looked  a  moment  on  the  dead  face,  and  passed  out  another  way ; 
until  twenty  thousand  persons  had  paid  this  last  tribute  of  affec 
tion.  The  women  brought  some  exotic  or  sweet  flower  to  lay 
upon  the  coffin ;  and  these  offerings  became  so  numerous,  that 
they  loaded  the  whole  bier,  and  the  table  on  which  it  rested,  and 
rose  to  a  great  heap.  Before  the  pious  interest  of  the  people 
could  be  satisfied,  the  hour  had  arrived  for  closing  the  doors,  and 
the  officials  warned  the  throng  of  people  to  retire.  Just  then,  a 
mutilated  veteran  from  Jackson's  old  division,  was  seen  anxiously 
pressing  through  the  crowd,  to  take  his  last  look  at  the  face  of 
his  beloved  leader.  They  told  him  that  he  was  too  late,  that 
they  were  already  closing  up  the  coffin  for  the  last  time,  and  that 


IIIS   CORPSE   CARRIED   TO   LEXINGTON".  731 

the  order  had  been  given  to  clear  the  hall.  He  still  struggled 
forward,  refusing  to  take  a  denial,  until  one  of  the  Marshals  of 
the  day  was  about  to  exercise  his  authority  to  force  him  back. 
Upon  this,  the  old  soldier  lifted  the  stump  of  his  right  arm 
toward  the  heavens,  and  with  tears  running  down  his  bearded 
face,  exclaimed :  "  By  this  arm,  which  I  lost  for  my  country,  I 
demand  the  privilege  of  seeing  my  General  once  more."  Such 
an  appeal  as  this  was  irresistible ;  and  at  the  instance  of  the 
Governor  of  the  Commonwealth,  the  pomp  was  arrested  until 
this  humble  comrade  had  also  dropped  his  tear  upon  the  face  of 
his  dead  leader.  And  this  was  the  last,  and  surely,  not  the  least 
glorious  tribute  which  was  oifered  to  him,  before  his  remains 
were  finally  sealed  up  for  the  tomb.  The  Government  shrouded 
Jackson  in  their  battle-flag;  but  the  people  shrouded  him  in 
Mayflowers.  The  former  contributed  to  the  funereal  pomp  the 
outward  circumstances  of  grandeur,  the  procession,  the  drooping 
banners,  the  dirge,  and  the  gloomy  thunders  of  the  burial-salute  ; 
but  the  true  tribute  paid  to  the  memory  of  Jackson  was  that 
given  by  the  unprompted  homage  of  the  people.  No  ceremonial 
could  be  so  honorable  to  him  as  the  tears  which  were  dropped 
around  his  corpse  by  almost  every  eye,  and  the  order,  and  solemn 
quiet,  in  which  the  vast  crowds  assembled  and  dispersed.  No 
such  homage  was  ever  paid  to  an  American. 

On  Wednesday,  the  coffin,  followed  now  by  the  widow  and  the 
General's  Staff,  was  carried  by  way  of  Gordonsville  to  Lynch- 
burg.  At  every  station  the  people  with  a  similar  spirit,  were 
assembled  in  crowds,  with  offerings  of  flowers.  At  Lynchburg 
the  scenes  of  Richmond  were  repeated;  and  the  remains  were 
placed  upon  a  barge  in  the  Canal,  to  be  conveyed  in  that  way  to 
Lexington.  They  reached  the  village  Thursday  evening,  and 
were  borne  by  the  Cadets  to  the  Military  Institute,  where  they 
were  laid  in  the  Lecture  Room,  which  Jackson  had  occupied  as 


732  LIFE  OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL  JACKSON. 

professor;  and  guarded  during  the  night  by  his  former  pupils. 
Friday,  the  15th  of  May,  they  were  finally  brought  forth  to  the 
church  where  he  had  so  much  delighted  to  worship,  and  commit 
ted  to  his  venerable  and  weeping  pastor,  Dr.  White.  This  good 
man  then  celebrated  the  last  rites  before  a  great  multitude  of 
weeping  worshipers,  with  an  unpretending  simplicity  and  ten 
derness,  far  more  appropriate  to  the  memory  of  Jackson  than 
the  pomp  of  rhetoric.  Thence  they  bore  the  coffin,  followed  by 
.the  whole  population  of  the  vicinage,  to  the  village  burying- 
ground,  and  committed  it  to  the  earth.  His  grave  was  marked 
by  nothing  but  a  green  mound,  and  the  fresh  garlands  which  the 
love  of  the  people,  unbidden,  had  never  forgotten  to  renew.  The 
cemetery  covers  the  smooth  crest  of  a  hill,  which  swells  up  at 
the  western  entrance  of  the  village,  and  commands  a  full  view 
of  all  the  smiling  landscape,  and  of  the  grand  ramparts,  of  moun 
tains  in  which  it  is  encircled.  It  is  a  fit  resting  place  for  the 
body  of  the  modest  hero ;  amidst  the  village  fathers,  whose  vir 
tues  had  blessed  their  happy,  Christian  homes,  with  the  peaceful 
sounds  of  domestic  life  and  of  the  Sabbath  worship  near  by, 
whose  sanctities  Jackson  died  to  protect  from  the  polluting  inva 
der.  At  the  distance  of  a  few  steps  rest  the  remains  of  his 
lamented  comrade,  General  Paxton,  and  of  his  cousin,  Alfred 
Jackson,  who  gave  his  life  for  the  liberties  of  his  native  soil, 
which  had  exiled  him  for  his  patriotism.  There  is  no  mark  to 
distinguish  the  grave  of  Jackson,  the  humblest  in  all  that  simple 
resting  place ;  but  the  stranger  needs  none  to  guide  him  to  it. 
Multitudes  of  feet,  in  their  pilgrimage  to  it,  have  worn  a  path 
which  cannot  be  mistaken ;  and  no  Confederate  ever  passes  the 
spot  withont  turning  aside,  to  seek  a  new  lesson  of  patriotism 
and  fortitude  from  the  suggestions  of  the  scene. 

The  Stonewall  Brigade,  while  expressing  their  sense  of  their 
bereavement,  asked  permission  to  assume  the  task  of  building 


MILITARY   CHARACTER.  733 

his  tomb.  An  association  of  gentlemen  also  began  to  raise 
funds  to  erect,  at  the  Capitol,  a  grand  monument  to  his  memory. 
The  continuance  of  the  war  has  prevented  the  completion  of 
both  these  designs,  for  the  present.  It  would  be  tedious  to  re 
cite  all  the  formal  expressions  of  sorrow  made  by  the  military, 
legislative,  and  judicial  bodies  of  the  country.  Only  the  Gen 
eral  Order  of  Lee,  announcing  his  death  to  the  army,  will  be 
appended,  as  giving  utterance  in  the  most  happ'y  and  dignified 
terms,  to  the  universal  grief. 

HEADQUARTERS  ARMY  OF  NORTHERN  VIRGINIA,  ") 
May  llth,  1863.      5 

General  Orders  No.  61. 

"With  deep  grief,  the  commanding  General  announces  to  the  army,  the  death 
of  Lieutenant-General  T.  J.  Jackson,  who  expired  on  the  10th  inst.,  at  quarter 
past  three,  p.  M.  The  daring,  skill,  and  energy  of  this  great  and  good  soldier, 
by  the  decree  of  an  All- Wise  Providence,  are  now  lost  to  us.  But  while  we 
mourn  his  death,  we  feel  that  his  spirit  still  lives,  and  will  inspire  the  whole 
army  with  his  indomitable  courage,  and  unshaken  confidence  in  God,  as  our 
hope  and  strength.  Let  his  name  be  a  watchword  to  his  corps,  who  have  fol 
lowed  him  to  victory  on  so  many  fields.  Let  his  officers  and  soldiers  emulate 
his  invincible  determination  to  do  everything  in  the  defence  of  our  beloved 
country. 

B.  E.  LEE,  General. 

The  narrative  of  Gen.  Jackson's  career  is  now  closed.  The 
full  description  given  of  his  person,  character  and  capacity  at  a 
former  part  of  this  work,  makes  it  unnecessary  to  enter  at  length 
into  a  discussion  of  his  merits  as  a  commander  here.  Every 
reader  will  draw  his  own  conclusions  for  himself,  from  the  facts 
which  have  been  faithfully  related  above.  But,  a  few  observa 
tions  remain  to  be  made,  without  which  the  historical  portraiture 
of  Jackson  would  be  incorrect.  It  is  to  be  remarked  that,  while 
he  rose  very  rapidly,  in  the  first  two  years  of  this  war,  to  the 
foremost  place  as  a  great  soldier,  none  of  his  comrades  have  yet 


734  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

displaced  him  from  his  eminence.  His  reputation  is  manifestly 
no  "nine  days'  wonder,"  but  one  which  is  destined  to  endure, 
and  to  leave  his  name  among  the  great  of  all  ages.  Few  or  none 
of  those  who  inhabit  with  him  the  temple  of  Fame,  won  their  way 
to  it  by  a  career  so  short.  All  of  the  events  by  which  his  glory 
was  earned,  are  comprised  within  two  years'  time.  As  a  strate 
gist,  the  first  Napoleon  was  undoubtedly  his  model.  He  had 
studied  his  campaigns  diligently,  and  he  was  accustomed  to  re 
mark  with  enthusiasm  upon  the  evidences  of  his  genius.  He 
said  that  he  was  the  first  to  show  what  an  army  could  be  made 
to  accomplish,  and  to  replace  the  old  technical  art  of  war  with 
the  conceptions  of  true  science.  Napoleon  had  shown  what  was 
the  value  of  time  as  an  element  of  strategic  combinations,  and 
had  evinced  that  good  troops  could  be  made,  if  well  cared  for, 
to  march  twenty-five  miles  daily,  and  win  battles  besides.  And 
this  war  should  show  that  Confederate  soldiers  could  do  as 
much. 

Few  generals  have  waged  war  with  such  unvarying  success  as 
Gen.  Jackson.  It  has  been  truly  remarked  of  him,  that  he  was 
never  routed  in  battle ;  that  he  was  never  successfully  surprised 
by  his  enemies ;  that  he  never  had  a  train,  or  any  organized  por 
tion  of  his  army,  captured  by  them ;  and  that  he  never  made  en 
trenchments.  His  success  did  not  come  by  chance.  While  no 
commander  recognized  so  devoutly  and  habitually  the  direction 
of  Divine  Providence,  none  was  ever  more  unwearied  in  provid 
ing  the  conditions  of  success.  It  was  his  rule  that  his  chief 
Quartermaster  and  chief  Commissary  should  see  him  every  day 
at  10  o'clock,  A.M.,  unless  sent  for  at  other  hours,  and  report 
fully  the  condition  of  their  departments.  Twenty-four  hours 
never  passed  without  interviews  with  both  of  them ;  and  he  knew 
the  exact  state  of  all  his  supplies  and  trains,  at  all  times.  He 
was  exceedingly  jealous  for  the  comfort  of  his  men,  so  far  as  this 


COURTESY.  735 

was  compatible  with  celerity  of  movement.  Many  instances 
might  be  cited  of  his  care  about  their  rations.  When  preparing 
for  his  march  to  Ronmey  in  the  winter  of  IS 62,  he  directed  the 
chief  Commissary  to  carry  along  rations  of  rice  for  the  army,  in 
addition  to  the  other  supplies.  That  officer  remarked  that  rice 
was  not  much  favored  by  the  men  as  an  article  of  food,  and  that 
they  seldom  drew  it  when  in  quarters.  The  General  replied 
that  nevertheless,  they  might  desire  it  when  on  the  march,  and  he 
did  not  wish  them  to  be  deprived  of  any  part  of  their  appointed 
supplies.  Several  hogsheads  of  rice  were  accordingly  carried 
along,  and  brought  back  untouched.  So,  his  care  of  his  wounded 
was  great,  and  no  commander  kept  his  medical  department  more 
efficiently  organized  than  he. 

Gen.  Jackson's  personal  demeanor  toward  his  soldiers  was 
reserved,  but  courteous.  It  was  impossible  for  any  to  assume  an 
improper  familiarity  towards  him ;  and  no  one  could  be  farther 
than  he  from  all  the  arts  of  the  demagogue.  He  never  did  any 
thing  for  dramatic  effect  or  for  popularity,  and  never  practised 
any  of  those  means  for  inspiring  enthusiasm,  in  which  Napoleon 
was  such  an  adept.  The  only  manifestation  which  he  ever  made 
of  himself  to  his  command  was  in  the  simple,  single-minded  per 
formance  of  his  duty.  He  never  was  known  to  show  himself,  of 
set  purpose,  to  his  troops,  never  made  them  speeches,  and  when 
ever  they  cheered  him,  escaped  as  quickly  as  possible.  But  his 
politeness  to  the  men  was  unfailing,  and  carried  its  own  evidence 
of  sincerity.  For  instance,  he  was  one  day  riding  where  scores 
of  soldiers  off  duty  were  passing,  and  whenever  one  of  these 
touched  his  hat  to  him  he  did  not  fail  to  return  the  same  saluta 
tion.  After  thus  noticing  perhaps  a  hundred  of  them,  one  more 
deferential  than  the  rest,  lifted  his  hat  from  his  head,  when  the 
General  also,  instead  of  touching  his  hat  again,  removed  his 
wholly,  and  returned  the  soldier's  bow. 


736  LIFE   OF   LIEUT.-GEXERAL   JACKSON. 

His  ideas  of  discipline  and  subordination  were  strict,  and  he 
was  exacting  of  his  subordinates,  in  proportion  as  their  rank 
approximated  his  own.  It  was  his  maxim  that  he  who  would 
govern  others,  must  himself  set  the  example  of  punctilious  obe 
dience.  Hence,  to  his  Colonels  he  was  a  stricter  master  than  to 
his  private  soldiers ;  and  to  his  Generals,  more  exacting  than  to 
his  Colonels.  If  he  found  in  an  officer  a  hearty  and  zealous 
purpose  to  do  all  his  duty,  with  a  willing  and  self-sacrificing 
courage  and  devotion,  he  was,  to  him,  the  most  tolerant  and  gra 
cious  of  superiors,  overlooking  blunders  and  mistakes  with  un 
bounded  patience,  and  repairing  them  by  his  own  exertions, 
without  even  a  sign  of  vexation.  But,  if  he  believed  that  his 
subordinates  were  self-indulgent  or  contumacious,  he  became  a 
stern  and  exacting  master,  seeming  even  to  watch  for  an  oppor 
tunity  to  visit  their  shortcomings  upon  them.  It  must,  in  candor, 
be  added,  that  by  this  temper  he  was  sometimes  misled  into  pre 
judice  j  and  during  his  career,  a  causeless  friction  was  produced 
in  the  working  of  his  government  over  several  gallant  and  mer 
itorious  officers  who  served  under  him.  This  was  almost  the 
sole  fault  of  his  military  character;  that  by  this  jealousy  of 
intentional  inefficiency,  he  diminished  the  sympathy  between  him 
self  and  the  general  officers  next  his  person,  by  whom  his 
orders  were  to  be  executed.  Had  he  been  able  to  exercise  the 
same  energetic  authority,  through  the  medium  of  a  zealous  per 
sonal  affection,  he  would  have  been  a  more  perfect  leader  of 
armies.  But  where  he  had  committed  unconscious  injustice,, he 
was  ever  ready  to  amend  it,  and  to  correct  his  estimate  of  his 
officers'  merits :  and  nothing  was  so  sure  to  melt  away  the  last 
particle  of  his  prejudice,  as  an  act  of  courage  and  vigor  upon 
the  field  of  battle.  The  utter  absence  of  the  Puritanical  turn 
of  mind  in  him,  was  strongly  displayed  in  the  liberal  spirit  with 
which  he  disregarded  his  own  personal  tastes,  and  even  his  own 


DEVOTION   TO   DUTY.  —  COURAGE.  737 

moral  and  religious  appetencies,  in  promoting  every  man  who 
displayed  the  elements  of  efficiency,  notwithstanding  his  private 
repugnance  to  Iiis  personal  character.  The  man's  manners, 
tastes,  religious  condition,  might  all  be  utterly  repulsive  to  General 
Jackson's  private  preferences,  but  if  he  saw  in  him  ability  to 
serve  the  cause,  he  employed  him.  Yet  all  appearance  of  indif 
ference  to  error  or  vice,  or  of  a  Sadducean  temper,  was  removed 
effectually  by  the  care  with  which  he  rebuked  and  suppressed 
every  impropriety  in  his  own  presence. 

That  devotion  to  duty  which  he  exacted  of  others,  he  practised 
with  most  exemplary  fidelity  himself.  Never  was  there  a  man 
who  lived  more  "  as  ever  in  his  great  Taskmaster's  eye,"  con 
secrating  every  hour  and  every  energy  to  his  country,  with  an 
utter  disdain  of  ease  and  self.  From  the  day  he  left  his  home,  in 
April,  1861,  to  that  when  he  was  brought  back  to  it  amidst  the 
tears  and  benedictions  of  his  people,  he  never  had  a  furlough ; 
was  never  off  duty  for  a  day,  whether  sick  or  well ;  never  visited 
his  family ;  and  never  even  slept  one  night  outside  the  lines  of 
his  own  command. 

His  personal  courage  was  of  the  truest  temper.  When  the 
history  of  his  early  infirmities  is  recalled,  it  will  appear  very 
unlikely  that  he  was  by  nature  endowed  with  that  hardihood  of 
animal  nerve,  which  makes  the  courage  of  the  pugilist  and  gladi 
ator.  This  surmise  will  appear  more  probable,  when  the  strange 
confession  is  related,  which  he  made  to  his  medical  director,  Dr. 
M'Guire.  His  care  for  his  wounded  and  sick  has  been  stated ; 
yet  he  rarely  visited  the  hospital  in  person.  He  excused  him 
self  by  saying  that  he  would  often  do  so,  but  that  when  he  was 
in  cold  blood,  the  sight  of  wounds  and  all  their  disgusting  acces 
saries  was  insupportable  to  his  nerves  !  It  was  not  unusual  to 
see  him  pale  and  tremulous  with  excitement  at  the  firing  of  the 
first  gun  of  an  opening  battle.  But  the  only  true  courage  is 

93 


738  LIFE   OP   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON, 

moral  courage ;  and  this  was  so  perfect  in  him,  that  it  had  abso 
lutely  changed  his  corporeal  nature.  No  man  could  exhibit  a 
more  calm  indifference  to  personal  danger,  and  more  perfect  self- 
possession  and  equanimity  in  the  greatest  perils.  The  determi 
nation  of  his  spirit  so  controlled  his  body,  that  his  very  flesh 
became  impassive;  the  nearest  hissing  of  bullets  seemed  to 
produce  no  quiver  of  the  nerves ;  and  when  cannon  balls  hurtled 
across  his  path,  there  was  no  involuntary  shrinking  of  the  bridle 
hand.  The  power  of  concentration  was  of  unrivalled  force  in 
his  mind,  and  when  occupied  in  profound  thought,  or  inspired  with 
some  great  purpose,  he  seemed  to  become  almost  unconscious  of 
external  things.  This  was  the  true  explanation  of  that  seeming 
recklessness,  with  which  he  sometimes  exposed  himself  on  the 
field  of  battle.  The  populace,  who  love  exaggerations,  called 
him  fatalist,  and  imagined  that,  like  a  Mohammedan,  he  thought 
natural  precautions  inconsistent  with  his  firm  belief  in  an  over 
ruling  Providence.  But  nothing  could  be  more  untrue.  He 
always  recognized  the  obligations  of  prudence,  and  declared  that 
it  was  not  his  purpose  to  expose  himself  without  necessity. 

But  this  perfect  courage  does  not  wholly  explain  the  position 
which  he  held  in  the  hearts  of  his  people.  In  this  land  of  heroic 
memories  and  brave  men,  others  besides  Jackson  have  displayed 
true  courage.  He  was  not  endowed  with  several  of  those  native 
gifts  which  are  supposed  to  allure  the  idolatry  of  mankind 
towards  their  heroes.  He  affected  no  kingly  mien,  nor  martial 
pomp ;  but  always  bore  himself  with  the  modest  propriety  of  the 
Christian.  His  port  on  the  battle-field  was  usually  rather  sug 
gestive  of  the  zeal  and  industry  of  the  faithful  servant,  than  of 
the  contagious  exaltation  of  the  master-spirit.  His  was  a  master 
spirit  ;  but  it  was  too  simply  grand  to  study  dramatic  sensations. 
It  impressed  its  might  upon  the  souls  of  his  countrymen,  not 
through  deportment,  but  through  deeds.  Its  discourses  were 


HIS   REPUTATION   EXPLAINED.  739 

toilsome  marches  and  stubborn  battles ;  its  perorations  were  the 
thunder-claps  of  defeat  hurled  upon  the  enemies  of  his  country. 
It  revealed  itself  only  through  the  purity  and  force  of  his  action  ; 
and  thence,  in  part,  the  intensity  of  the  impression. 

This  aids  to  explain  the  enigma  of  his  reputation.  How  is  it 
that  this  man,  of  all  others  least  accustomed  to  exercise  his  own 
fancy,  or  address  that  of  others,  has  stimulated  the  imagination, 
not  only  of  his  own  countrymen,  but  of  the  civilized  world,  above 
all  the  sons  of  genius  among  us  ?  How  has  he,  the  most  unromantic 
of  great  men,  become  the  hero  of  a  living  romance,  the  ideal  of 
an  inflamed  fancy,  even  before  his  life  has  been  invested  with  the 
mystery  of  distance  ?  How  did  that  calm  eye  kindle  the  fire 
of  so  passionate  a  love  and  admiration  in  the  heart  of  his 
people  ?  He  was  brave ;  but  not  the  only  brave.  He  revealed 
transcendent  military  talent;  but  the  diadem  of  his  country 
glowed  with  a  galaxy  of  such  talent.  He  was  successful ;  but  it 
had  more  than  -one  captain,  whose  banner  never  stooped  before 
an  enemy.  The  solution  is  chiefly  to  be  found  in  the  singleness, 
purity,  and  elevation  of  his  aims.  Every  one  who  observed  him 
was  as  thoroughly  convinced  of  his  unselfish  devotion  to  duty, 
as  of  his  courage,  it  was  no  more  evident  that  his  was  a  soul 
of  perfect  courage,  than  that  no  thought  of  personal  advance 
ment,  of  ambition  or  applause,  ever  for  one  instant  divided  the 
homage  of  his  heart  with  his  great  cause,  and  that  "  all  the  ends 
he  aimed  at  were  his  country's,  his  God's  and  truth's."  The 
corrupt  men,  whose  own  patriotism  was  merely  the  mask  of 
ambition  or  greedy  avarice,  and  who  had  been  accustomed  to 
mock  at  disinterested  virtue  in  their  secret  hearts,  as  an  empty 
dream,  whon  they  saw  the  life  of  Jackson,  had  as  heartfelt  a 
conviction  of  his  ingenuous  devotion,  as  the  noblest  spirits  who 
delighted  to  form  their  souls  by  the  mirror  of  his  example.  In 
the  presence  of  his  sincerity,  the  basest  wero  as  thoroughly 


740  LIFE    OF   LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

silenced  and  convinced  as  the  good.  The  confidence  of  his  coun 
trymen  was,  therefore,  the  testimony  of  the  common  conscience 
to  the  beauty  of  holiness.  It  recognized  the  truth,  that  the 
strength  of  Jackson  was  in  his  exalted  integrity  of  soul.  It  was 
the  confession  of  our  natures,  that  the  virtue  of  the  Sacred 
Scriptures,  is  true  greatness;  grander  than  knowledge,  talent' 
courage,  philosophy  or  success. 

May  it  not  be  concluded  then,  that  this  was  God's  chief  lesson 
in  this  life  and  death !  He  would  teach  the  beauty  and  power 
of  true  Christianity  as  an  element  of  national  life.  Therefore  He 
took  an  exemplar  of  Christian  sincerity,  as  near  perfection  as  the 
infirmities  of  nature  would  permit,  and  formed  and  trained  it  in 
an  honorable  retirement.  He  set  it  in  the  furnace  of  trial  at  an 
hour  when  great  events  and  dangers  had  awakened  the  popular 
heart  to  most  intense  action ;  He  illustrated  it  with  that  species  of 
distinction  which,  above  all  others,  fires  the  popular  enthusiasm, 
military  glory ;  and  held  it  up  to  the  admiring  inspection  of  a 
country  grateful  for  the  deliverances  it  had  wrought.  Thus  God 
teaches  how  good,  how  strong  a  thing,  His  fear  is.  He  makes  all 
men  see  and  acknowledge,  that  in  this  man  Christianity  was  the 
source  of  those  virtues  which  they  so  rapturously  applauded ;  that 
it  was  the  fear  of  God  which  made,  him  so  fearless  of  all  else ; 
that  it  was  the  love  of  God  which  animated  his  energies ;  that  it 
was  the  singleness  of  his  aims  which  caused  his  whole  body  to  be 
full  of  light,  so  that  the  unerring  decisions  of  his  judgment  sug 
gested  to  the  unthinking  the  belief  of  his  actual  inspiration ;  that 
the  lofty  chivalry  of  his  nature  was  but  the  reflex  of  the  spirit  of 
Christ.  Even  the  profane  admit,  in  their  hearts,  this  explana 
tion  of  his  power,  and  are  prompt  to  declare  that  it*  was  Jack 
son's  religion  which  made  him  what  he  was.  His  life  is  God's 
lesson,  teaching  that  "it  is  righteousness  that  exalteth  a  nation." 

His  fall  in  the  midst  of  the  Great  struggle  for  the  existence  of 


HIS  FALL  TIMELY.  —  HIS   STAFF.  741 

his  country,  and  in  the  morning  of  his  usefulness  and  fame,  has 
appeared  to  his  people  a  fearful  mystery.  But  if  his  own  inter 
ests  be  regarded,  it  will  appear  a  time  well  chosen  for  God  to 
call  him  to  his  rest  j  when  his  powers  were  in  their  undimmed 
prime,  and  his  glory  at  its  zenith ;  when  his  greatest  victory  had 
just  been  won ;  and  the  last  sounds  which  reached  him  from  the 
outer  world  were  the  thanksgivings  and  blessings  of  a  nation  in 
raptures  with  his  achievements,  in  tears  for  his  fall. 

This  tribute  to  his  memory  will  now  be  closed  with  a  record 
of  the  names  of  the  zealous  and  faithful  men,  who  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  composed  his  Staff.  In  their  selection,  he  had  dis 
played  a  certain  independence,  or  what  many  deemed  a  singular 
ity  of  judgment.  Not  many  of  them  were  men  of  military  educa 
tion;  for  he  was  of  all  men  least  restricted  by  professional 
trammels.  But  their  efficiency  was  the  best  justification  of  his 
judgment.  His  Adjutant  and  Chief  of  Staff,  at  the  time  of  his 
fall,  was  the  Hon.  Charles  James  Faulkner,  lately  minister  of  the 
United  States  to  France :  who  succeeded  General  Paxton  in  this 
office,  when  the  latter  took  command  of  the  Stonewall  Brigade. 
At  the  battle  of  Chancellorsville  Colonel  Faulkner  was  absent 
on  sick  leave.  The  Assistant  Adjutant  was  Lieutenant  Colonel 
Alex.  S.  Pendleton,  a  zealous  and  spirited  officer,  who,  after 
rising  to  the  highest  distinction,  gave  his  life  to  his  country  in 
the  disastrous  campaign  of  September,  1864,  in  the  Valley. 
The  Chief  Quartermaster  was  Major  John  Harman,  and  the 
Chief  Commissary,  Major  Wm.  Hawks.  The  Medical  Director 
was  Dr.  Hunter  M'Guirc.  These  four  served  under  Jackson 
during  his  whole  career.  The  Chief  of  Artillery  was  Colonel  S. 
Crutchficld,  who  was  wounded  at  Chancellorsville  a  few  moments 
after  his  General.  The  Chief  of  Engineers  was  Captain  Bos- 
well,  who  fell  by  the  same  fatal  volley  which  cost  Jackson  his 
life.  He  was  assisted  by  Mr.  J.  Hotchkiss,  as  Topographical 


742  LIFE   OF  LIEUT.-GENERAL   JACKSON. 

Engineer;  an  accomplished  draughtsman,  whose  useful  labors 
are  still  continued.  Captain  Wilbourne  conducted  the  signal 
service.  Colonel  Allen  managed,  with  unrivalled  efficiency,  the 
ordnance  of  the  corps.  Lieutenants  Smith  and  Morrison  were 
Aidcs-de-Camp  and  personal  attendants  to  the  General.  The 
Inspectors  of  the  corps  were  Colonel  A.  Smead,  and  Captain  II. 
Douglass.  These  gentlemen  formed  a  military  family  of  the  hap 
piest  character,  and  all,  excepting  those  of  the  supply  depart 
ments,  messed  together.  While  their  mess  table  was  simple  as 
that  of  the  privates  of  the  army ;  and  the  General  forbade  that 
any  luxuries  should  be  habitually  introduced,  which  were  excluded 
from  the  soldiers'  rations ;  refinement,  courtesy,  and  purity  pre 
sided  over  all  their  intercourse.  Nothing  was  ever  heard  in  that 
circle,  which  could  raise  a  blush  on  the  cheek  of  woman,  or  pro 
voke  a  frown  from  the  sacred  ministers  of  religion.  It  is  no 
detraction  from  the  merit  of  the  gallant  men  who  composed  it, 
to  say  that  this  propriety  was,  in  part,  the  result  of  the  elevated 
example  of  the  General. 


SOUTHERN  BOOKS  BY  SOUTHERN  AUTHORS. 


DE  YAXE ;  A  STORY  OF  PLEBEIANS  AND  PATRICIANS.  The  most  fascinating 
Novel  of  the  season.  By  Hon.  Henry  W.  Hilliard,  Ex-Member  of 
II.  S.  House  of  Representatives  from  Alabama.  12rno.  Fine  French 

Muslin,  2  vols.  in  one,  pp.  552.     Price, $2  00 

We  think  no  more  elegantly  written  book,  none  abounding  more  freely  in  simple, 
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the  entire  first  edition  was  ordered  in  advance  of  its  issue  from  the  press. 

"  SOUTH  SONGS,"  FROM  THE  LAYS  OF  LATER  DAYS.  By  T.  C.  De  Leon. 
On  tinted  paper,  elegantly  bound  in  fine  French  Muslin,  beveled  boards, 
full  gilt.  Price, " 175 

"  This  delightful  volume  is  a  contribution  to  American  letters,  for  which  all  inter 
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"  The  poems  have  evidently  been  selected  solely  with  a  view  to  their  intrinsic 
elegance  and  power.  They  comprise  ballads  with  all  the  ring  and  fire  of  'the  good 
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of  modern  poets ;  and  some  dirges  that,  for  exquisite  delicacy  and  pathos,  can  be 
excelled  by  nothing  in  the  language." 

u Independent  of  other  interest  that  may  attach  to  them,  the  poems  themselves 
are  the  best  we  have  ever  seen  under  one  cover.  But  not  the  least  curious  part  of 
the  work,  is  that  such  beauties  could  have  remained  hidden  so  long." — Review. 

BELLE  BOYD,  IN  CAMP  AND  PRISON.  Written  by  Herself.  With 
an  Introduction  by  GEORGE  AUGUSTUS  SALA.  12mo.  Muslin,  pp.  464. 
Price, 1  75 

"  Belle  Boyd  in  Camp  and  Prison  is  one  of  those  books  into  which  the  whole  soul 
and  spirit  of  the  writer  have  evidently  passed — which  are  too  earnest  for  artistic 
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The  darling  of  the  entire  South,  Belle  Boyd  may  be  regarded  as  the  female  genius 
or  impersonation  of  the  Confederacy,  in  which  her  name  has  been  a  household  word 
from  almost  the  beginning  of  the  war.'' — London  Saturday  Gazette. 

THE  WAR— ITS  CAIISES  AND  CONSEQUENCES.     By  C.  S.  Farrar,  of 

Bolivar  County,  Miss.     12mo.     Fine  Cloth,  pp.  260.     Price, 1  25 

A  clear,  calm,  and  entirely  dispassionate  statement  of  the  apparent  differences 
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understand  the  "  animus"  of  the  other. 

A  PRACTICAL  HOMEOPATHIC  TREATISE  ON  THE  DISEASES  OF 
WOMEN  AND  CHILDREN,  intended  for  intelligent  Heads  of  Fami 
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Price,  Cloth, 3  50 

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A  new  work  on  Domestic  Homeopathic  Practice,  especially  adapted  for  general 
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Any  of  the  above  sent  by  mail,  post  free,  on  receipt  of  price,  by 

BLELOCK  &  CO.,  Publishers, 

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